Perils of the North
by Gordon Pasha
Summary: The Jasper wolves travel north after being challenged to a contest by another pack. But little do they know that they are walking straight into a trap prepared by an enemy with a score to settle against one of them. Shall our heroes be able to survive the challenges of this deadly contest and get back home in one piece?
1. A Stranger Appears

**Let me start with a few announcements:**

**After "A Jasper Ghost Story" was so popular, I got a lot of reviews asking about a sequel. My poll closed last week and the results were unanimous; all votes were for Lilith coming back. So I will be doing a sequel... but not yet. I want to give Lilith a rest so that she doesn't get overused. Besides, I need time to plan it out. I hope I'm not disappointing anybody but, trust me, the next Lilith story will be better for not being rushed.**

**Also, I'm doing stories for "Alpha and Omega: The Series," which Dancing Lunar Wolves has set up. It's a collaboration between different authors taking place after the movie and featuring a number of new adventures for all the movie characters. Be sure to check it out and follow it as more stories come out.**

**But, in the meantime, I'm doing a story I've been planning for awhile. This one is going to be a long story, based on a popular medieval plotline. Kate, Lilly, Humphrey, and Garth will all be here - along with action, adventure, some crazy new OCs and a new villain with a grudge against one of our favorite wolves. **

**So, without further ado, read on:**

* * *

_**Behold!**_

_**Here Begins Book the First of the Epic, Perils of the North**_

**I. In Jasper. I.**

* * *

**"Nations are not truly great solely because the individuals composing them are numerous and free and active. **

**Nations are great only when these numbers, this freedom, and this activity are employed in the service of an ideal **

**higher than that of an ordinary man, taken by himself."**

**- Matthew Arnold, "Democracy"**

* * *

Jasper Park was peaceful. It had been some time since Lilly and Garth's marriage had united the pack. It had also been quite some time since Winston, Eve, and Tony stepped down, letting Kate, Humphrey, Lilly, and Garth to take over as full leaders of the pack.

There had been peace ever since the union of the packs. There was no more feuding between East and West, and in fact, the wolves were already beginning to forget their old pack designations. Alpha and Omega couples were common now as, despite initial hesitance, the wolves of the pack followed their leaders' example. Nor was the caribou supply a problem, since the two packs worked together to keep from overhunting the caribou. In fact, the caribou population of Jasper had rebounded, meaning that there was no more threat of food shortage. Everything was perfect. It was – as far as it could be with wolves – a golden age.

Kate, as proud and strong as ever, shook off sleep and strode out into the early morning sun from her and Humphrey's den in the central mountain. Nearby, Lilly and Garth were stirring in their own. In order to represent the merger of the packs, it had been decided that the ruling family would relocate to the one place held in common by both packs. It had been this way for some time, and Kate was very happy with her life. Neither she and Humphrey nor Lilly and Garth had yet had pups to take over for them someday. But there would be time for that later, and besides, Kate had no intention of retiring from the leadership for a very long time.

She looked down toward the valley, where she saw many little specks – the wolves of her pack – happily going about whatever they were doing. Kate smiled as she watched them; it lifted her heart to see them all so happy. She thought in amazement at how, despite how hard things had been and how trouble seemed inevitable when she was supposed to marry Garth, everything had managed to work out for the best.

Suddenly, Kate's world went black. "Morning, hun!" came Humphrey's voice from behind her. Kate pulled his paws out of her eyes and spun around to meet him.

"Humphrey, I thought I told you to stop doing that!" she said playfully.

Humphrey smiled. "You did, but you never meant it!"

Kate laughed. He had her there.

Kate now noticed that Lilly and Garth were watching them. Lilly was giggling and even Garth had a smile on his face. It was definitely a good day.

"Come on, guys," Kate said. "We've got a pack to run!"

* * *

Hutch and Can-do were busy marching along the pack's northern border. It was their turn to patrol for intruders. As there didn't seem to be anyone around, Hutch and Can-do were engaged in conversation.

"I still don't get it," Hutch said.

"What's not to get?" Can-do protested. "Just because some people prefer to have something a little different to eat, you've got to start criticizing them."

Hutch shook his head. "But _bitter berries?_"

"I prefer to think of them as tart berries," Can-do answered.

**(Author's Note: Another joke from "Lilly Saves the Day".)**

Hutch was about to offer his own witty retort when he heard something in the bushes. "Shhh," he said to Can-do.

"Oh no, you can't just win an argument by shushing me!" Can-do complained.

"Not now, Can-do!" Hutch whispered.

And then Can-do heard it too. And soon, he picked up a scent. The scent of a wolf, but not a wolf of the United Pack. It was a stranger.

Hutch nodded to Can-do to conceal himself in the bushes. They would wait for this stranger – he was coming their way – and then figure out what was going on. They only had to wait a few seconds before the stranger came fully into view. He was a little wolf, dark grey and otherwise completely ordinary. But he was not one of the pack's wolves, so Hutch and Can-do jumped in front and behind him.

"Hey, buddy," Can-do said. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"State the reason for your presence in the territory of the Jasper pack," Hutch said, attempting to be more diplomatic.

The little wolf shivered a little but tried to speak. "I'm… I'm a lone wolf… who's just passing through. I was hoping that there would be a pack in the area that might give me shelter until I move on."

Can-do smelled him cautiously. He did not seem suspicious. There was a slight hint of other wolves, but that would be normal for a lone wolf going from pack to pack. Finally, Can-do nodded to Hutch.

"Come with us," Hutch said. "Our pack leaders will decide what to do with you."

* * *

It was Kate's turn to lead the caribou hunt and she was waiting for Hutch and Can-do to arrive. Finally, she heard them approaching.

"Where have you two been?" she said. "We're almost fifteen minutes late!"

Though Humphrey had taught Kate to relax more, she could still be obsessive about punctuality on occasion.

"We would have been here sooner, ma'am," Hutch said, "but we encountered a problem."

Kate turned swiftly. "A problem?"

She now saw that Hutch and Can-do were escorting a small grey wolf who did not look too happy about his company.

"We found this lurking around our borders," Can-do said gruffly. "He says he's a lone wolf!"

"I am a lone wolf!" the stranger cried. "I have been ever since I had to leave my pack. Since then, I've been wandering around Canada like – like lone wolves always do, I guess. But could you please tell me where I am now?"

"You're in Jasper National Park, Alberta," Kate said, figuring she could at least tell the stranger that much.

The stranger's face lit up. "Jasper? You mean, you're the Jasper Wolfpack?"

Kate nodded, "Yeah, that's us."

The stranger gave a yelp of delight. "Oh, I can't believe my luck! To actually meet the Jasper Pack! It's truly an honor!"

Kate tilted her head in confusion. "You know who we are?"

"Of course," the stranger answered. "Every wolf in Canada has heard of the Jasper Pack! The first pack ever to allow the mating of Alphas and Omegas. The first pack ever created by the joining of an Alpha and an Omega. You're famous!"

Kate looked from Hutch to Can-do trying to think of something to say. She did not know how to respond to being a household name among the wolven population of Canada. "Um, yeah… okay," she finally said.

The stranger grinned. "Oh, that makes me feel so much better! I honestly wasn't trespassing or anything, but I was hoping to find a friendly pack that would give me something to eat and some shelter for a few days. Could I stay with you? I don't eat much or take up much room and I'm only going to be staying for a week and then I'll move on. Please?"

Kate considered this. The stranger did not seem like a threat.

Finally, she nodded. "It has always been the custom of our pack to take in any wolf who comes to us in need. You can stay for as long as you need to."

Kate turned to walk away. The lone wolf, however, was too excited to stop talking.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" he said. "You Jasper wolves really are as kind and wise as they say you are! You must be the second-greatest pack in all Canada!"

Kate, who had been enjoying the praise, now shot a look at the stranger over her shoulder. "Ahem, second greatest pack?" she said.

The stranger said. "Yeah, almost the best, but not quite."

Kate felt her pride being stung, not just for herself but for her whole pack. She turned back around. "Okay, so tell me, who would the _greatest _pack be?"

"Hey now," the stranger said, "being second best ain't that bad. I mean, sure you couldn't make it to the top, but think of everybody else who couldn't either."

Kate repeated her question. "Who is the greatest pack?"

The stranger continued. "I mean, no matter how could you are, there's always somebody better, right? So you shouldn't feel too bad about not being good enough to be number one. I mean, perfection is overrated anyway, isn't it?"

"Who is the greatest pack?" Kate asked again, her voice becoming harsher. Her patience with this stranger had run out and she was now demanding an answer.

"The Yukon Pack is the greatest, of course!" the lone wolf said, as though it was common knowledge. "I mean, they're the best at everything."

Neither Kate nor the Betas could ever remember hearing of this pack before.

"Yukon Pack?" Hutch said. "The Yukon's a big place. You must mean the Yukon packs."

"No, just one pack," the stranger said. "All the packs united into one that covers the whole Yukon. I mean, now you see why they're better. I mean, you just united two packs and only got a single park to show for it. They united about ten or so and got a whole territory."

Kate glared and pointed at the stranger. "Now you listen here! Jasper can do anything the Yukon Pack can do and we can do it better! I can promise you that!"

The lone wolf rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Kate. There's no need to be jealous just because you're not as good!"

"Not as good? Not as good?" Kate was really starting to lose her temper now. Hutch and Can-do instinctively backed away, as Kate was beginning to look a lot like her mother. "Well then, why don't you pay some attention while you're here and see our pack for yourself? I think you'll agree we're much better than some northern pack!"

"Is that a challenge?" the stranger said with a laugh.

"Um, ma'am," Hutch said. "I think something's wrong here. Maybe we should think twice about letting this wolf into our valley."

But Kate was too upset to listen to her subordinate. "Yes it is! You just watch – we're gonna make those Yukon wolves look like circus dogs! Just you wait and see!"

* * *

**Would the United Pack impress their new guest?**

**Read on.**


	2. Wounded Pride

**Hey, everybody. Surprisingly enough, I've managed to complete the second chapter of this story - and it hasn't even been a week yet! I finished this one so fast because I put off other stuff that I probably should have done this weekend instead. But I just had such a clear idea of the chapter in my head that I had to write it down.**

**That's a good enough excuse, right? **

**Okay, I guess you can decide for yourselves if writing this one was worth it:**

* * *

Up on the central mountain, a crowd of Eastern wolves had gathered. Garth was presiding over the meeting, trying to sort out their complaints. Lilly was nearby, lying on her back and bouncing her tail like a ball from paw to paw.

Edgar was standing next to a number of Eastern Omegas. Behind him were Claw and Scar. After their last adventure, Tony had 'reassigned' Edgar to the Omegas, and he had since then made himself quite welcome among them.

"We've had enough of him!" one of the Omegas complained. "He's not funny at all and he always cheats at games!"

"Hey, I won that poker game fair and square!" Edgar retorted.

"You broke my nose!" shouted the Omega.

"Yeah, well, that was only because I lost track of the card count," Edgar said.

Garth waved his paw to signal them all to be quiet. When they settled down, he said, "Let me get this straight. Edgar, you introduced _gambling_ into our pack?"

Edgar shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? I found a pack of cards when I was ruffling through one of the human campsites."

"Which you were specifically forbidden to visit after last time," Garth said.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know those hunters would actually try to shoot wolves? I thought we were a protected species!"

"Never mind, Edgar," Garth said. "Let's get back to the issue at paw. You brought gambling into our pack and then tried to cheat at it?"

"Hey, counting cards isn't cheating!" Edgar said. "It's not illegal in poker!"

"Isn't counting cards done in blackjack, not poker?" Lilly said innocently, while still playing with her tail.

Garth looked at her in surprise. "Um… yes, dear, I guess it is," he said, mentally trying to figure out where his mate could have learned such things.

"Oh, so that's why it didn't work," Edgar said. "But hey, what's the harm? Even when I cheat, somebody else always wins!"

"Until you break their nose!" the Eastern Omega shouted again.

"Settle down, settle down," Garth said. "Okay, what do you actually want?"

"We want him out!" the Omega said. "We don't want him to be an Omega anymore! Make him an Alpha again, I don't care. Just get him away from us!"

"Hey, hey, hey, we don't want him either!" Claw said behind him.

"Yeah," Scar added, "not after we went through all that work throwing a going-away party when he was demoted!"

"A party which I wasn't even invited to," Edgar muttered.

"Of course you weren't," Claw said. "It wouldn't have been much of a party if we invited you."

"Silence, silence," Garth said. All this arguing was giving him a headache. But then again, most things involving Edgar gave him a headache. "Let's, um, let's…"

"We could always have him spend half of his time as an Alpha and the other half as an Omega," Lilly now volunteered, still playing with her tail. "That way, neither group would have to have him the whole time."

Everybody immediately began to protest even having to have Edgar for a short time, but Garth had to admit that he didn't see any other solution. "That seems like the only thing we can do for now. We'll give more thought to it later, but for now, that's the best solution. So work out amongst yourselves how to divide Edgar's time."

The disappointed group sulked away. "How about we split it evenly," Scar said. "Omegas get him 70% of the time, Alphas 30%?"

"Anybody want to play cards for it?" Edgar offered, only to be met with a resounding "NO!"

Garth shook his head and then turned back to his mate. "That was a good idea, honey," he said. "But where did you–"

He was about to ask Lilly about her newfound gambling knowledge when he heard someone else coming up the mountain path. He heard Kate and Humphrey's voices, along with one of a wolf he didn't know. Lilly heard them too, so she stopped playing with her tail and rolled over onto her stomach to get a better look.

Kate walked up the path with a little grey wolf behind her and Humphrey behind him.

"So then the one caribou says to the other," Humphrey said, "I don't think this is the antler convention! Hahaha!"

The little wolf did not seem to get the punch-line. "Dude, your jokes are really lame," he said.

"Hey, lighten up, buddy," Humphrey said, patting the wolf on the shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" the wolf shouted as he pulled his shoulder away.

Kate rolled her eyes. She was obviously not happy with the stranger. "And this is our central mountain," she said. "From here we can see the whole of the valley and watch for any problems."

"Hm," the stranger said, obviously unimpressed. "The Yukon Pack's central mountain is bigger."

Kate fought back her urge to tear the stranger's throat out.

"Yeah, well," Humphrey said, "that's because this is only our temporary central mountain! We're only staying here while our real one's being remodeled. The other one's much bigger and nicer. Plus it has a swimming pool. And a helipad… in the swimming pool."

The stranger growled. Obviously, he did not get Humphrey's sense of humor.

Kate had already taken the stranger on a tour of the valley. She had become increasingly frustrated by the fact that everything that the stranger saw was somehow not as good as what the Yukon Pack had. Somewhere along the way, they had picked up Humphrey. Unlike his mate, he was actually amused by the stranger's comments and loved to make jokes out of them.

At this moment, Kate couldn't figure out which one she found more annoying.

Garth and Lilly watched them approach. Lilly quickly got up and hid behind Garth. Though she was much more confident than she used to be, she still was extremely shy whenever a wolf she didn't know entered the valley.

"Humphrey, Kate," Garth said. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Benny," Kate said. "He's a lone wolf who wants to stay in the valley for a few days."

Garth smiled at Benny. "It's our policy to never turn away a stranger in need. Welcome to Jasper!"

Benny smiled. "I was just telling Kate and Humphrey that it's such an honor to finally get to meet the second-best pack in Canada."

"Oh no, we're not starting that again," Kate said.

"Starting what?" Garth asked.

"Well, it seems that Benny here thinks we're not quite as good as some pack up in the Yukon," Kate explained.

"Ahem, the Yukon Pack. Just one," Benny corrected obnoxiously.

Kate shook her head. "Whatever. So, I'm showing him just how much better we are than them."

"No, you're not," Benny said.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am!"

"Guys, guys!" Humphrey said, coming between them. "There's friendly rivalry and then there's… not, I guess. But just think of what Garth and Lilly must think of us!"

"No, I think Kate's right," Garth said. "We are the best pack in the world and I don't think anybody could ever honestly say differently."

"I just did," Benny said flatly.

"Um, Garth, the world's a pretty big place…" Lilly said nervously, trying to keep her mate's pride from getting out of control.

Benny looked at her, realizing she was there for the first time. "Um, you know you have a head growing out of your tail, right?" he said to Garth.

Lilly felt so embarrassed that she hurriedly backed up into the darkness of the cave.

Garth continued, "I'm not about to buy that this Yukon Pack is so much better just because they have a bigger mountain! I mean, what else can they do? I bet they can't hunt nearly as well as us, for one thing!"

"Yes, they can," Benny said. "One of them can hunt better than all of you combined!"

Garth growled at the stranger and then turned to Kate. "Kate, why don't we show our guest how real wolves hunt?"

Kate smiled. "Now that's the best idea I've heard all day! Especially since I had to miss the morning hunt to deal with this intruder!"

Humphrey realized that the Alphas were getting too worked up about this. "Hey, everybody," he said, "let's not make this a competition! I mean, we're all friends here, right? And friends can disagree, right? Right?"

"Spoken like a true Omega," Benny said. "Too cowardly to put their money where their mouth is!"

Humphrey wasn't about to let Benny get to him like he was getting to Kate and Garth. He knew that things were headed in a bad direction. But he was outnumbered. The only other person calm-headed enough to help him was Lilly, and the only thing he could see of her were too little ears and a fluffy tail peeking out from behind a large rock.

"Hey, come on," Humphrey tried again. "No need to get pushy! I mean, any more pushiness and we'll all fall off this cliff here, he he!"

"That's enough, Humphrey," Kate ordered, as though she was talking to a subordinate instead of her mate. "If Benny wants to be embarrassed, then we'll be happy to oblige!"

"But, Kate–" Humphrey began.

"I said that's enough!" Kate yelled. Humphrey stepped back a little in surprise.

Without another word, Kate nodded and walked down the path, with Benny and Garth following close behind. Humphrey waited for Lilly to decide it was safe enough to come out.

"I have a really bad feeling about this," he said to her as they walked down the path.

* * *

**Is Humphrey right?**

**Read on.**


	3. Trapping the Prey

**Chapter 3, out already? I am on a roll!**

* * *

A herd of terrified caribou stampeded through the valley, raising dust in all directions. Out of the dust darted the figure of Kate, bouncing and flipping off of any available high point in order to keep the caribou running and afraid. Normally, Kate would not have been so flashy, but she had an audience to impress this time.

She had specifically refused to use Hutch and Can-do to help her, just so she'd have an excuse to show off her moves…

As Kate made a particularly high and impressive flip, high enough that she nearly eclipsed the sun, Humphrey smiled in admiration. He, Lilly, and Benny were sitting on a nearby hill and watching. Lilly even managed to shake off enough of her shyness to clap and show pride for her sister. Benny tapped his paws and looked around impatiently, as though he was thinking of all the other things he could be doing.

Just as the caribou came to a small part of the pass, a number of heavy logs flew into their pat, blocking it completely. Atop the logs leapt Garth, smiling proudly as he puffed out his chest. On the hill, Lilly leaned her head against Humphrey's shoulder in dreamy admiration for her own mate. Humphrey wasn't sure he was thrilled by this, but he decided it was better to let Lilly do it than hurt her feelings. Benny yawned in boredom.

The caribou were now trapped between Garth's wall and the speeding bullet that was Kate. They're only chance was to try to leap over the logs. But this was just what the Alphas had wanted. As Garth leapt up and snagged one in the chest, Kate came down on its back. After that one was immobilized, they wasted no time in taking down a few more. Once they had finished, it was clear that the pack would have a good supper.

Benny meanwhile had become somewhat distracted in his attempt to remove a long strand of grass which had gotten stuck under one of his claws. It was obvious that he considered this the more interesting activity.

Kate and Garth stood proudly over their kills and smiled to one another. They were sure this combination of their best moves would be enough to impress their guest. They walked over together.

"How's that for hunting? I bet they don't have moves like that in the _frozen north_!" Garth said, sure that he had proven the superiority of his pack.

"I've seen better," Benny responded without looking up from his claws.

"Let me guess," Humphrey said. "It wouldn't happen to be a pack in the Yukon, would it?"

"As a matter of fact, it would."

Humphrey laughed. "Gee, I must be psychic!"

Benny ignored him. "The Yukon Pack could have wiped out that whole herd without breaking a sweat! You only got seven caribou – big deal!"

This made Kate angrier than ever. "Listen, you little toad of a wolf, we could have killed that whole herd easily! But we didn't because we actually need to conserve our supply so that, you know, we don't starve!"

"The Yukon Pack doesn't need to worry about starving," Benny said. "They have billions of caribou that just lie down to be killed."

"Billions, there can't be billions!" Kate said. "There isn't anything near that number of caribou in Canada!"

"Kate, Kate, Kate," Humphrey said, "don't let it bother you. I mean, who really cares how many caribou they have?"

"Better listen to your mate," Benny said. "It's pointless to even count the number of things the Yukon Pack can do better. You can't match them in anything! Especially not when you can't do anything but some lame flips…"

Kate let out a yell and pounced at Benny. Nobody insulted the moves she worked hard every day to perfect. She was only held back by a combination of Garth and Humphrey, and then only barely. She definitely had her mother's strength when in a rage.

"Kate, remember our laws!" Garth said. "We can't go around mauling strangers we've placed under our protection! We'd be throwing away our honor!"

Kate realized that Garth was right. This was one time when she couldn't let her emotions get the better of her. It would reflect badly on the whole pack. This managed to calm Kate down, mostly. She decided to walk away before Benny could say anything that would cause her to lose her cool again.

Benny chuckled. "Well, I guess the Alphas can't do anything right. I could almost believe the Omegas would do better!"

"Well, I am pretty good at log-sliding, if I do say so myself," Humphrey said. "Just get me and Salty, Shakey, and Mooch together, and there ain't no one who can outrace us!"

Benny rolled his eyes. "How nice! Except… the Yukon Pack could. They're log sports are ten times more awesome. And you, what do you do?" He was talking to, or more like yelling at, Lilly.

Lilly quickly ran behind Humphrey. "I just do turtles," she said quietly.

Benny stared at the part of her still visible. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," he said.

Garth stepped forward. Humphrey realized that he must be upset about how Benny was talking to Lilly and that he looked like he was about to forget everything he had just told Kate. Humphrey knew he had to act fast to avoid an incident. So he jumped in between Garth and Benny, trying to think up a joke to defuse the situation. However, he had to admit that even he was at a loss for words this time.

And then, out of nowhere, he was saved. Saved by a loud, piercing scream.

Garth closed his eyes in exasperation. "Edgar…" he muttered.

Sure enough, Edgar came running down one of the ridges and toward the valley floor. Behind him pursued Claw and Scar, both grinning mercilessly, anticipating the imminent destruction of their prey. After arguing for some time, the Alphas and Omegas had decided to take the King Solomon interpretation of Lilly's suggestion and divide Edgar himself in two. They figured he'd have to be a lot less annoying that way.

Even Lilly walked out from behind Humphrey, trying to see what was going on. Humphrey took the opportunity, while Garth was distracted, to pull him away from Benny and to try to get him to calm down. Meanwhile, Edgar ran up to where Lilly and Benny where still sitting.

"Miss Lilly! And small gray wolf I've never seen before! Save me!" Edgar pleaded. "They're trying to kill me!"

And he quickly scurried behind Lilly's back, hiding his face in her white mane.

Claw and Scar came to a dead halt in front of Lilly. Naturally, the little Omega was surprised by all of this, but she did her best to maintain her composure and sort out the situation. She smiled at the two impatient Betas.

"Claw, Scar, were you two trying to kill Edgar?" Lilly asked in a sweet voice.

Claw shook her head. "No, no, no, no, no…."

"Yeah, a little," Scar volunteered. Claw promptly elbowed him.

"Claw, Scar, you two know that you aren't supposed to be killing other pack members," Lilly said. "It's not nice."

"Hey, he probably still wouldn't have shut up if we did get to tear him in half!" Scar said. Claw once again elbowed him. She quickly shushed him and nodded to Lilly.

"Now I want you two to come up with a nicer way of dividing Edgar," Lilly continued. Meanwhile, Edgar was busy peeking out through the strands of her mane to see how they'd respond.

"We could knock him out with a rock first!" Claw said with a smile. Edgar yelped and proceeded to try and hide himself under Lilly's tail.

Lilly shook her head. "No, I mean, dividing his time… without killing him! I want you two to figure out something with the Omegas without killing Edgar. Is that understood?"

Claw and Scar looked at each other and then nodded. "Yes, Miss Lilly," they glumly said together. And then they slowly sulked away.

Edgar, realizing it was safe, came out from behind Lilly's back. "Um, if it's okay," he said. "I'm gonna hang out with you guys for a while."

Kate, Humphrey, and Garth were watching this in awe as they walked over.

"Wow," Garth said, "Lilly's getting the hang of leadership quicker than I thought!"

"I've seen better," Benny remarked rudely. Hurt by the insult, Lilly hid her face and quickly backed away. "If the Yukon Pack had a problem like that they'd– ahhh!"

Benny fell to the ground, having just received a fist from Edgar.

"Edgar, what are you doing?" Humphrey said, horrified that all his hard work keeping the peace had just gone down the drain.

"What?" Edgar said, apparently not realizing what he'd done. Then he looked down at the small wolf. "Oh, I did it again, didn't I? I always punch out wolves I don't know when I'm nervous."

"Kate, Garth, do something!" Humphrey said, hoping that they would restore order.

Kate and Garth, however, did nothing.

"I know I should be mad about pack law being so flagrantly broken," Kate said, "but the only thing I'm upset about is that I didn't get to do it myself.

"It was surprisingly cathartic," Garth said. "Edgar, remind me to consider promoting you back to Beta."

Humphrey, as a last resort, turned to Lilly, hoping that here he'd still have an ally. Unfortunately, Lilly had taken the opportunity to leave before she could be insulted again and was now chasing after a butterfly on another hill. Humphrey was once again outnumbered.

"You lunatics!" Benny yelled as he got up. "You broke my nose! You broke my– efh!"

Benny fell back down. Edgar stood over him, his fist out once more.

"Edgar!" Humphrey said in a sterner tone than he had probably ever used in his life.

"What?" Edgar said. Then he realized what he had done. "Oh, oops! The nerves are really jumpy today!"

Benny now quickly crawled away. "You wolves are sick! Here, I come into your valley, just seeking a little friendship and maybe a place to stay for a few days. And then, for no reason at all, you break my nose! If that's the way you're gonna be, I'm leaving before you have a chance to do any more damage! And don't think the other packs won't hear about this!"

Benny quickly got up and ran off without taking a look back. He continued to complain, however.

"Oh, shut up!" Garth yelled. "Our pack is number one and if you don't like it, we're glad you and your broken nose are going elsewhere!"

"And don't bother ever coming back!" Kate added. "We won't be in such a charitable mood next time!"

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, I guess?" Humphrey said. He was now truly at a loss for words.

Nobody heard anything more from Benny and, within an hour, he was out of the valley completely.

"Well, I guess that takes care of that, and good riddance, right?" Humphrey said as he and Lilly walked behind their mates. Kate and Garth were leading the way back to their dens and both of them were still in a very dark mood.

"I mean, I guess we showed him, right?" Humphrey said again, trying to cheer them up. "Right, guys?"

"Shut up, Humphrey," Kate snapped.

* * *

Far in the north, several days later – in a journey that should have taken weeks if not months – Benny had just managed to reach a cave in the side of a large mountain. He was panting heavily, having given himself barely any rest since leaving Jasper and having just run all the way up the mountainside.

But before he could catch his breath, he heard a voice from within say, "Enter!"

He dared not disobey. When he entered, he saw four large wolves standing around the sides of the cave, motionless as guards at Buckingham Palace. In the center of the cave was a large stone. Sitting atop that stone was a golden wolf, hidden mostly in the shadows. In his paws was a long wooden rod. Tied to the end of that was an incredibly large diamond… with an incredibly sharp point.

"Bow down!" the mysterious figure commanded.

"If… if… I could just… just catch my breath… my breath first…" Benny said.

The figure made a gesture to one of the wolves with his paw. The wolf bounded over and slammed Benny to the ground.

"When I say bow, you bow!" the seated figure barked. "Now, tell me, how did Kate and her little friends respond to your visit?"

"It worked just like you said it would," Benny said from the ground. "Kate and the others were so offended that they ended up breaking my nose!"

The figure laughed. "Excellent! I couldn't have hoped for better! She's playing right into my paws. Now it's time for the next part of my plan to unfold!"

Benny looked to the left of the large stone. There, in a piece of large tree-bark, was painted a portrait of Kate. It was so well-done that it looked just like her in every way. It was so lifelike that Benny had been able to recognize her on sight.

The figure, meanwhile, continued speaking as he waved his staff around menacingly. "Finally, Kate shall pay for what she did to me! I shall be avenged for everything that she did! She shall pay for it all… with her life!"

With that, the figure took the staff and threw it like a javelin straight at the portrait of Kate. The rod sailed into its target, the diamond point embedding itself directly into her forehead.

* * *

**Who is this mysterious figure and what are his plans for Kate?**

**Read on.**


	4. Challenged!

**Happy Halloween, everyone! In the spirit of the season, I had wanted to get a new Green Goblin story out by now but I never got to it. So, instead, you'll have to make do with another chapter of "Perils of the North." **

**This one is long and kinda slow-moving, but it's important for the overall story. You'll understand when you read.**

* * *

When Humphrey awoke the next morning, Kate had already left. He stepped out of his den into the morning light, such in time to see Lilly just beginning to emerge from hers.

"Garth gone already?" he asked.

Lilly nodded.

"Yeah, Kate too," Humphrey responded.

Humphrey looked down from the mountain and saw that Kate and Garth were already in the hunting fields. They were shouting at Hutch, Can-do, and the other Betas, criticizing them for not working harder or hunting faster.

"Okay, I guess somebody's not letting go of the past. Specifically yesterday," Humphrey muttered.

"They sure aren't!" said a voice behind him. Both Humphrey and Lilly looked in surprise to see Edgar standing there.

"They've been like that all morning," Edgar said. "They say we have to prove that we're the best pack in North America."

"Hm, North America," Humphrey said. "Bigger than Canada but not as big as the world. I'm glad that they haven't lost their ability to compromise! Come on, Lilly, let's go see what's up."

Humphrey and Lilly walked past Edgar and began to descend the mountain. But then they noticed that they were not alone. Edgar was right behind them.

"Edgar, is there a reason you're following us?" Humphrey asked.

"I said yesterday that I was gonna hang out with you guys for a while," Edgar answered.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you meant permanently!" Humphrey said. "Don't you have someone else you could bother… er, I mean hang out with today?"

"Come on, guys," Edgar said. "You two are my best friends!"

"But we don't like you," Humphrey answered.

"Yeah," Edgar said.

"You don't like us," Humphrey continued.

"Right," Edgar said with a nod.

"Then how can we be your best friends?" Humphrey asked, saying it as though he was delivering a punch-line.

"Because, you may not like me, but everyone in the Eastern Pack hates me. So that makes you guys my best friends by virtue of disliking me less than they do… or something." Edgar said, smiling proudly like he had just worked through a difficult math problem.

"Something is right," Humphrey said with a sigh.

"I don't hate you," Lilly said to Edgar quietly.

As they continued, walking, Lilly and Humphrey noticed that Edgar was shuffling cards. "Hey, Humphrey, up for a game of poker?" Edgar said.

Humphrey was unsure what to say. "Um… not really my game. Sorry!"

Edgar was deeply disappointed and crestfallen.

Humphrey's tender heart took pity on him and he decided to try to help, even though Edgar was considered little better than a foe at the best of times. "Um, hey, here's a crazy idea! Why don't you ask Lilly to play?"

Edgar's loud "No!" had definitely not been what Humphrey was expecting.

But by now the Omegas had arrived at the hunting fields, to find that Kate and Garth had just finished the kill and were leading it away with the Betas behind them.

"Hey, Kate!" Humphrey called out as he passed her. "I'm glad I found you! I was getting worried that you had up and left town on me this morning!"

But he got no response from his mate. Kate just walked on by.

* * *

It continued like this for several days, a week, and even two weeks. On the third week, Kate and Garth were finally starting to come out of it and were enjoying themselves with their mates again. However, this newfound tranquility would all be shattered in an instant.

Humphrey, Edgar, and Lilly were sitting atop the nearby hill, watching Kate and Garth hunt with the Betas. They no longer seemed so over-stressed and were hunting as calmly and confidently as usual.

"Hey, Humphrey," Edgar said, looking thinner and dirtier than usual, "how much do you want to bet that Kate personally takes down three caribou today?"

"You're gambling again?" Humphrey said with a roll of his eyes.

"Gambling? No, this is strictly business," Edgar said. "I'm opening up a sports-book and I need clients."

"Well, what you call business sure sounds like gambling to me!" Humphrey responded.

Edgar growled slightly. "Well, how else am I supposed to pay off all my poker debts?"

"What did you bet anyway?" Humphrey asked out of curiosity.

"Anything really," Edgar said. "Food, shelter, the vegetarians… you know, whatever I could get my paws on. Unfortunately, I now have nowhere to stay and haven't eaten in a week. And if I don't win more caribou meat to pay up, Claw and Scar are going to be coming for my hide again!"

Humphrey just couldn't help laughing. "Sorry, but I don't think I can bet on Kate's performance. It'd be a conflict of interest for her!"

"Actually, I was thinking maybe if you could get her to get less than three caribou, it would really help," Edgar said. "I'd bribe you but I don't have anything left to use as a bribe."

Humphrey shook his head. "Forget it. Besides, in the time we've been talking, Kate has taken down five caribou!"

Edgar slammed a fist against the ground. "That completely wipes me out! Now what am I supposed to do? At this rate, I have to find somebody to sell into slavery to get these debts paid off!"

Lilly, not paying much attention to this conversation, went down into the field to congratulate Garth on his successful hunt. She did this by pouncing on top of him when he wasn't looking. As they played around on the ground, Humphrey and Edgar walked up to Kate. It had been a good hunt and Kate was in a good mood.

"Hey there," Humphrey said, "look who's actually smiling! That was something I never thought I see again!"

"Oh, come on, Humphrey," Kate said. "I haven't been _that _bad!"

"Sure you haven't," Humphrey answered, "on a scale of one to your mother in a frenzy. But on a normal Kate scale, that's a different story."

"Okay, okay," Kate responded, hitting Humphrey playfully on the shoulder.

"Well, you can make it up to me with a kiss!" Humphrey said with a chuckle.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, if I have to–"

But just as they were learning their snouts together, Edgar said, "Hey, who's that?"

Kate didn't think much of this at first – Edgar being Edgar and perpetually confused about who was and wasn't a member of the United Pack – but then she detected the scent of an outsider. Someone had obviously eluded the border patrols. She couldn't place the scent but it seemed vaguely familiar. She began to turn around. "If it's that disgusting little grey wolf again, I'll–"

Kate stopped when she saw that it was not Benny, but a larger wolf, clearly an Alpha. He was just her size and just her color, being tan all over with the occasional streak of white here and there. He had an arrogant face and seemed to be looking down at all the wolves around him.

"Is this Jasper Park? I'm looking for the one called _Kate_." He said her name with disgust, as though he was using the most foul language he could think of.

"I'm Kate and I'm one of the leaders of the Jasper Unified Wolfpack," said our proud Alpha.

"Good for you," the new arrival said sarcastically. "But you're the one I want, then. I come as a messenger from the Yukon Pack."

"The Yukon Pack!" Kate, Humphrey, and Garth shouted as the jaws of each dropped. Lilly put her paws over her ears to block out the noise and so it was easy for Garth to push her off of him and come over to the others.

"Gee, you guys are awfully far from home!" Humphrey joked. "What, you take a wrong turn at Calgary or something."

The stranger snarled at Humphrey but said nothing. He clapped his paws together and from behind him came two smaller wolves, carrying a large piece of tree bark on which something was written. They pushed the end of the bark into the ground so that the bark could now stand on its own and the Jasper wolves could read it without having to look down.

"Read that and then get back to me. I'll be staying for the next few days at the edge of your territory. I'll only wait as long as it takes you to make a decision."

"A decision? About what?" Humphrey asked.

The stranger did not answer. He just walked away, with his servants behind him.

Kate, Humphrey, and Garth leaned in to look at the words written on the bark. Edgar was too busy mentally thinking of ways to avoiding getting mauled by Claw and Scar to care.

"Okay, let's find out what this thing says," Kate said. "Mind's well get it over with."

Lilly now came over. "Um, sis, maybe we should read it in private. Just in case there's something which the rest of the pack shouldn't hear…"

Humphrey now looked around. Word travels fast, apparently, because now it seems like every member of both packs was standing around them to see what they bark said.

"We've got nothing to hide from our pack," Kate said. "I mean, what can the Yukon Pack really say about us on our own turf?"

Humphrey began to open his mouth to second Lilly's motion but wasn't even able to speak. Kate cut him off by starting to read the bark. And this is what it said:

_"From the glorious leader of the Great Yukon Pack to Kate, so-called leader of the dogs of Jasper, most warm and heartfelt greetings!"_

_"We here in the north have heard much about you. We have heard of your breaking of pack law and your marriage of Alpha and Omega and we have marveled that such things could be accomplished in a civilized society. But we are baffled by reports we get from all the packs of Canada – who love and worship us most dearly – that you have claimed those little pups you lead could outdo our finest Alpha warriors! When we think about how you have so arrogantly claimed what is impossible, for just one of our wolves could run circles around all your pups put together, we cannot help but laugh at your foolishness and absurdity!_

_"But as you have most wrongfully claimed to be the greatest wolf-pack in the world, and we know ourselves to be a great and magnanimous people, we must give you the right to come here to our home and try to prove your claim before us. If you win, then we shall acknowledge that you are indeed the greater pack. If we win, as we unquestionably must, then everyone will see you for the cowardly braggarts we already know you are. Accept or decline this challenge, the choice is yours, but know that if you decline, we shall conclude that you were too fearful to face us and all the legendary stories about your courage are lies._

_The choice rests with you. Choose wisely and remember that your honor hangs in the balance."_

The board did not last for long. For no sooner had Kate stopped reading that she leapt at the board and tore it apart.

"Jasper will accept this challenge!" she yelled into the air. Instead of the joyous cheers she expected, only an awkward silence came from the assembled crowd.

"Kate, Kate, Kate, maybe we should think a little more about this," Humphrey said.

"Why was the message addressed just to Kate, anyway?" Garth said.

"What's there to think about Humphrey?" Kate shot back, ignoring Garth. "They insulted us and now we have to teach them a lesson! Then nobody will dare talk about our pack like that!"

"I mean, really," Garth continued. "It should have at least said Kate and Garth. Or Garth and Kate would have been better."

"Kate, no matter what you do, there's always going to be somebody out there who doesn't like you," Humphrey responded, also ignoring Garth. "There's always going to be somebody who thinks they're better than you, no matter if they are or not. We can't go around trying to beat everybody. So let's just forget about this whole 'challenge' business. After all, we already know who's the best!"

He winked at Kate to emphasize the point, but Kate did not seem moved by the gesture.

"I mean, think about it, it should have been addressed to me and Lilly," Garth said. "Since our marriage united the packs and–"

"Would you just shut up about who they addressed the message to!" Kate yelled. "Who cares? They were insulting all of us, and that's why our honor has to be avenged!"

"Um, Kate, are you sure that you're not mad just because they specifically singled you out?" Humphrey said, trying to use his nicest voice possible to make the criticism go down easier.

"Humphrey, this isn't about me!" Kate said. "This is about the whole pack! They're challenging our pack! If we let them push us over, then any old lone wolf could come in here and do that!"

"Funny, I thought they already did," Edgar said. He had never been a fan of the United Pack's policy of charity toward strangers. "I've always said that all the resources we spend on taking care of strangers could be put to better use. Speaking of which, anybody want to bet some of them on how many bones Humphrey'll break in the next log-slide?"

"Hey!" Humphrey said. "I'm standing right here!"

"Don't worry," Edgar said. "I've already paid off Mooch to throw you out of the log at a convenient time."

"Just be quiet, everyone!" Lilly yelled – not in anger, but just to make herself heard. "We need to consider this like reasonable wolves. And we can't do that while we're arguing."

"Sorry, Miss Lilly," Edgar said, as did several Eastern wolves who had not even had any part in the argument.

Kate nodded. "Lilly's right. We need a better place to consider this than in the middle of the hunting fields. We're going to take this up at the central mountain!"

The four leaders began to walk home, with the whole of both packs following them. Kate looked over her shoulder. "Alone," she said.

There was a collective sigh of disappointment from the whole United Pack as the four leaders walked into the distance.

"Lilly, you were right," Kate said. "We should've done a private meeting in the first place. It's all the better to plan on how we're going to humiliate these northern chumps!"

* * *

**How would Jasper answer this challenge?**

**Read on.**


	5. Disintegration

**Two chapters in one day? New personal record! This is another mostly-dialogue chapter, but one that sets up some interesting things to come.**

**By the way, I've decided to change the genre of this story from "Humor" to "Drama." By the end of the chapter, you should understand why.**

* * *

The four gathered on one of the cliffs overlooking the valley. From here, they could see the whole of their northern territory stretching up to the border, where the Yukon wolves had set up their camp.

Kate and Garth were pacing in a circle, with Lilly and Humphrey looking on.

"We have to get back at them for this," Kate said. "They can't be allowed to come in here and insult our pack!"

"They're trying to make us look weak and small in front of all Canada!" Garth added. "We'll be the laughing stock of all the packs if we don't do something!"

"I just can't let our pack be pushed around like that," Kate continued. "First they insult us, next who knows what they'll do!"

"I can't even believe their attitude!" Garth said. "What gives them the right to come into our home and insult us in the first place?"

"We need to do something," Kate said.

"Yeah, something," Garth agreed.

"I know what we need to do," Humphrey said. Both Kate and Garth looked at him in surprise. He smiled. "We need to just forget about all this and relax over a nice round of log-sledding!"

"Humphrey, this is serious," Kate said. "These wolves are a real threat to our pack! Can you stop being so irresponsible for once in your life and take our pack's safety seriously?"

"Hold on, Kate," Humphrey said. "I don't think the Yukon Pack is going to be sending an army down here anytime soon. I mean, just think of the distance involved, the logistics of the thing, and the fact that the humans would get awfully suspicious of a large wolf migration from north to south. So, yeah, I don't think anything bad's going to happen to us from them."

"But it's okay with you if we're the laughing stock of Canada?" Garth said. "Sure, maybe the Yukon Pack may not invade, but what if one of our neighbors decides that we're too weak because we didn't defend ourselves? What's going to stop them from attacking us?"

"Um, our winning personality?" Humphrey joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"And don't you even care about your pack's honor?" Kate said. "Where's your sense of loyalty? Do you want to see Jasper embarrassed and shamed by these northern jerks?"

"Of course not," Humphrey said. "Not when we've already got Edgar to embarrass and shame us!"

Lilly laughed a little at Humphrey's joke but the Alphas were unmoved.

"If we don't do something, it will reflect badly on all of us," Garth continued. "We'll all be seen as cowards who aren't even brave enough to defend our reputations. And that is never good. Not only will it cause the other packs not to respect us, but it will also cause our own wolves to lose faith in the pack."

"Everything we've done to forge a United Pack would be undone," Kate added.

"Oh, you mean the part where you two started a war between the packs because you refused to marry," Humphrey said. "That's what you meant by forging a United Pack."

"Humphrey!" Kate yelled. "Aren't you listening at all? There could be another war if we let this insult stand! And I don't mean with just with the Yukon Pack or our neighboring packs or whatever. I mean there could be another civil war here in Jasper! Because if our people lose faith in us, they'll lose faith in each other and in the United Pack! We can't let that happen under any circumstances!"

"Okay, okay," Humphrey said. "I get it. We don't want to look like bad leaders or else the pack won't trust us anymore. Fine, but am I the only one who thinks there's something fishy about this whole business. I mean, first we get this guy from outta nowhere telling us how much better the Yukon Pack is than us and then, just by coincidence, the Yukon Pack sends a messenger to challenge us a few weeks later? Come on, something's up!"

"So you just want us to pretend like this isn't happening," Kate said angrily. "Just ignore it and it will all go away! Really, Humphrey, even you should know better than that!"

Humphrey's jaw dropped. Did Kate just insult him?

Garth stepped in front of Kate. "I don't think we should just ignore it either," he said, "but Humphrey's got a good point. There's something wrong with this whole set-up."

"Hey, Garth, can you repeat the part about me being right a few more times?" Humphrey asked. "That's one thing I don't hear enough from you!"

Garth rolled his eyes.

Lilly now spoke up. "I think Humphrey's right… I think we shouldn't listen to the northern wolves. I know we don't want to be bad leaders or anything, but, um, would it really matter if we didn't accept their challenge? Um, what I mean is…" Lilly was trying to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to say. "Um… I mean, the only thing they can do to us is taunt us some more and tell other packs we're cowards, right? Well, the other packs would be really silly to believe any of that after what they've heard about us. Nothing they say will actually hurt us or make us cowards or anything. The only way that the Yukon pack can hurt us is if we listen and we give into them. I mean, just by giving into them, we're kinda letting them win…"

"Whatever, Lilly," Kate said dismissively, figuring that this was just another of her sister's crazy daydream ideas. "We're going to do something. Don't you guys think I've already realized that the Yukon Pack has it out for us? But if they are purposefully trying to humiliate us, then that's all the more reason to accept their challenge and prove them wrong! Our Alphas can take care of themselves."

"But mom and dad wouldn't–" Lilly began

"Mom and dad aren't here anymore, Lilly!" Kate yelled. "It's just us, and it's up to us to defend our pack and put a stop to this Yukon nonsense once and for all!"

Garth was himself thinking this over. "I guess we should accept their challenge. Whatever they're up to, it'll be better to fight it head-on. That way, we can put a stop to it and prove that we're better at the same time!"

"Then it's decided; we accept the challenge," Kate said.

Humphrey's jaw once again dropped. "It isn't decided! Me and Lilly never agreed to that!"

"We're accepting the challenge, Humphrey," Kate said, "and that's all there is to it!"

Lilly once again tried to speak, intent on making herself heard. "But, sis, I don't think you should go! I have a bad feeling about this. If you go, you might get really, really hurt or… or…. you might be killed." Lilly had to really force herself to say the last part.

But Kate was quickly losing patience with her sister. 'She's even worse than Humphrey about not taking things seriously,' Kate thought. 'Can she really not see how necessary it is to do something or is she just being deliberately thick?

Lilly continued quietly. "I don't want you to die, Kate! I don't want to lose another sister…"

Kate had now had enough. "I guess killing one was enough for you, then?" she snapped.

Lilly's lavender eyes were suddenly flooded with tears. She backed up and tried to hide her face behind her tail. "It wasn't my fault!" she screamed. "You know it wasn't my fault!"

Kate realized what she had done. Suddenly, all her anger was gone, replaced with a deep sense of guilt. "Lilly, I'm sorry…." she said.

"Garth, I think you should take Lilly home," Humphrey said, realizing that there really was no way to salvage the situation now.

Though he had no clue what was going on, Garth did not need to be told twice. He gently hugged Lilly and led her back toward their den, leaving Kate and Humphrey alone.

"Well I hope you're happy now," Humphrey said in a tone of anger – the first time Kate could ever remember him using that tone with her.

"Humphrey, I didn't–" Kate began, tears forming in her own eyes.

"Save it, Kate," Humphrey said. He walked away, leaving Kate alone to her thoughts.

Kate stood their silently, thinking about what she had just done. Suddenly, she heard the distinctive sound of Hutch's paws coming up the path behind her.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am, but we were wondering if you came to a decision about the Yukon Pack's challenge," Hutch said.

Kate did not even bother to look at him. "Just tell that northern wolf that we accept!"

* * *

**What did Kate mean about Lilly "killing one sister?" And what happens now that Jasper has accepted the challenge?**

**Read on.**


	6. All Her Fault

**Hey, everyone. Sorry I didn't get to this sooner, but I had a tough week. ****A****nd before anyone here in the U.S. asks - no, it was not because of the election! ;)**

**I've just been really busy and I had gotten very little sleep before today, so I was really in no shape to work on this before.**

**To make up for it, I'm giving you a really long one. Remember the first question I asked at the end of last chapter. Well, here we get the answer - and it's not going to be as straightforward as you expect.**

* * *

"Lilly, honey, do you want to talk about it?" Garth said.

Lilly sat next to him. She had calmed down for the most part, though every so often she would sob a little. However, when she opened her mouth to speak, instead another flood of tears burst from her eyes.

"It wasn't my fault, Garth!" she moaned. "It wasn't my fault!"

Garth had never heard her talk about this before and so had no idea what she was referring to. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault, honey…"

"Yes it was!" Lilly balled. "It was all my fault!"

"But you just said that it wasn't your fault." Garth was trying to put the pieces together and, unfortunately, failing miserably.

"It wasn't my fault," Lilly said. "That's what mom and dad said. They said it wasn't my fault. But it was all my fault!"

Garth really didn't know how to respond. He had no idea what Lilly was even talking about, so how could he comfort her? Kate and Humphrey both knew what it was, so apparently it was common knowledge around the Western Pack. But Garth was an Eastern wolf and had never met either Kate or Lilly before that fateful Moonlight Howling, so how could he possibly know about whatever it was?

So he just hugged Lilly and hoped it would calm her down. Finally, it seemed to work. Lilly stopped crying and wiped her eyes with her tail.

Garth smiled now that he could see Lilly's eyes without their being filtered through tears. "Now there are those beautiful eyes I love so much!"

He had hoped this would cheer Lilly up, but instead she turned away from him and hid her head under her paws.

Garth walked around and sat down in front of his mate. "Maybe if you just tell me what happened, it will make you feel better."

Lilly shook her head, with her paws still on top. "Nothing can make me feel better."

"Just give it a try," Garth said softly.

He was acting in that tender way that he only ever acted toward Lilly. Lilly had never talked to anyone about it before. Of course, everyone in the Western Pack already knew, but Lilly had hoped to keep it from Garth. She was afraid he wouldn't love her anymore if he found out what she had done.

But, like always, the love in his voice set her at ease. It gave her confidence and reminded her that Garth was the one person in the whole world she felt she could trust with anything. Besides, even if he wouldn't love her anymore, it was better than him loving a lie. So finally, she stood up and began to speak.

"I don't remember it at all, but it's what mom and dad have always told me. There were originally three of us, three sisters. Kate and Melanie were born at the same time; I was born a three months after. Kate and Melanie were a lot alike. They were both born Alphas and I… wasn't. So they always used to play together and leave me to play by myself, even though mom and dad told them not to.

"I didn't like being left out by them but they were always embarrassed by me and wouldn't ever take me along. So one day, I followed them without them knowing. They were playing by the cliffs where the old log had fallen over and created a bridge. Kate and Melanie were daring each other to run across it without falling into the canyon. Kate went first and had gotten to the other side just as I got there, but Melanie…"

At this point, Lilly stopped talking. She seemed like she was going to cry again. Garth tried to hug her, but she waved a paw that told him to stop. She started speaking again. "B-b-but Melanie, she… I… I wanted them to play with me so badly! So, I ran up to Melanie and tried to tackle her. Of course, I couldn't actually knock her down… I figured I'd just bounce off her and then she'd laugh at me and then play with me for once…

Lilly was silent for a few moments. "Just take your time," Garth said softly, "and tell me what happened."

Lilly tried to smile at Garth. She wanted him to know how much he was doing for her just by staying calm and kind, even if she didn't know how to tell him. Finally, she started to speak again. "Of course, I did bounce off of her. But I… I guess I was stronger than I thought… or Melanie wasn't as strong. She didn't fall down, but she lost her balance. She backed up onto the log and… and… the log started to slip and turn... and… and…"

"Melanie go splat!" came a voice behind them.

Lilly and Garth turned in horror to see Edgar standing at the entrance to their den. Lilly now hid her face in her paws, crying. "Edgar, get out!" Garth yelled.

"Um, sir," Edgar said, "I just wanted to see if you had changed your mind about that issue we had talked about earlier."

"Like I told you before," Garth said, "we are not about to start serving chili-cheese caribou in this pack!"

"Okay, okay," Edgar said. "No need to get upset. Hey, do you guys mind if I hang out with you two for a while? I finally managed to get a couple of loan sharks to give me enough caribou meat to pay of Claw and Scar, but now the sharks want to collect and I got nothing."

"Get out, Edgar!" Garth yelled again.

"But, sir, they threatened to break my legs! All four of them!"

"Out!"

Edgar backed away and stepped out of the den. "That better, sir?"

Garth was now frustrated at how literally his command had been taken. "Just go away, Edgar! I don't care where, but just go away!"

"Okay, no need to lose your temper, sir," Edgar said. He then slunk away.

Garth turned back to Lilly. "What if he tells someone," she said, her one eye peeking out from behind her paws.

Garth smiled at Lilly, hoping to cheer her up. "Who'd ever believe him? Remember the time he claimed that Kate was really an overgrown corgi that had escaped from Buckingham Palace? Or the time that he claimed that Humphrey was really a robot clone created by a species of alien lizards? Or the time he said Eve killed Bigfoot?"

"But Garth… mom really did kill Bigfoot!"

Garth shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "Well, he was wrong two out of three times. People'll think it's just another crazy rumor."

Instead of feeling better, she just started crying more. Garth sensed that this wasn't about Edgar. More likely, it was about all the guilt Lilly was feeling.

"Lilly, it really wasn't your fault," Garth said as he hugged her. "You couldn't have known what would happen. You were just a pup. You can't keep blaming yourself. If anything, Kate and Melanie shouldn't have been doing something so dangerous in the first place."

Lilly's face rose from out of her paws. "You… you don't hate me?"

Garth was shocked by this statement. "Lilly, I could never hate you, because I know you'd never hurt anyone on purpose. And besides, it doesn't matter what you did as a pup. All that matters is the beautiful she-wolf you've become, the she-wolf that I love."

Lilly hugged Garth back and held on as tight as she could. "Oh, Garth! I was afraid you'd blame me! I know I shouldn't, but that's what I think everybody else does. That's one of the reasons I've always been so shy and can't make friends. I just feel like they all blame me!"

"Lilly, I don't think they blame you," Garth said. "Humphrey doesn't blame you and Kate…" He cut himself off, remembering what Kate had said. He didn't think she meant it but could he really be sure?

"Kate blames me! And so do mom and dad!" Lilly cried. "Why else would they have always ignored me and treated Kate better? Everybody used to say that, since I was born like this – white and not good enough to be an Omega – I was cursed!"

"Lilly, that's just ridiculous," Garth said. "You know that your parents didn't mean to treat Kate better. That's just how things happened. It isn't because you're cursed. If you were cursed, you couldn't have saved my life."

Lilly stopped crying. But she held onto Garth, intent on never letting him go. "Thanks, Garth, for being who you are."

"No, thank you, Lilly, for being who you are," Garth said.

* * *

"Lilly!" Kate yelled.

Her sister was dead, she just knew it. Lilly had been killed by those northern wolves. No one could survive what they put her through. But Kate had no time to think. Garth, enraged, pushed her to the ground. Quickly she fought him off and they were soon engaged in battle.

"You killed her, Kate! It's all your fault! Why'd you have to make us come here anyway?" Garth yelled as he charged at her.

"You wanted to come, too!" Kate yelled back as she delivered a one-two punch that halted Garth in his tracks.

But Garth came back with a blow that sent Kate into the rock-wall. At this point, Humphrey jumped in-between them. "Guys, settle down!" he said. "Lilly wouldn't want us to fight!"

"Don't you dare mention her name!" Garth yelled as he began to strangle Humphrey. "You could have saved her too!"

Seeing Humphrey hurt, Kate regained her strength and charged into Garth, "Get your paws off of him!" she shouted.

Garth hit the rock-wall, but Kate had little time to gloat. Soon, everything was engulfed in flames. And in the flames, she heard laughter as a wolf approached her. His face was hidden, yet he had golden fur and was carrying a large wooden stick with the hugest diamond Kate had ever seen. He pounced on her and knocked her down, attempting to stab her with the diamond.

But then, out of nowhere, fire consumed him and Kate heard shouting. "Quickly and soon! Fire shall devour them quickly and soon!"

And then the fire surrounded Kate and started to burn at her fur. Just as she was about to succumb to the pain, she looked up and saw, in the blue heavens, a large golden star. And then everything went black.

Kate jumped up. She was still on the cliff overlooking the valley. "It was just a dream, just a dream," she said as she tried to calm herself. She had not wanted to go back to her den with Humphrey mad at her so she had stayed out here and apparently fallen asleep. Now it was midnight and Kate noticed that the Yukon camp was already gone, probably speeding home with Kate's answer.

"It was just a dream," she said again. "Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure about that?"

Kate jumped back and screamed. She was not alone. She looked in the direction where the voice had come from. Crouching on a large rock perilously close to falling over the cliff was a large white wolf, very ancient and yet very strong, with eyes that seemed to pierce through her.

Kate immediately relaxed. "Oh hey, Ambrose. Long time no see." She was not going to bother to try and find out how the old hermit had managed to get up the cliff and place himself atop that rock. When it came to him, Kate knew it was better to just roll with it.

But Ambrose was in no mood for small talk. "You've had dreams like this before, haven't you?"

Kate nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I have."

"Ones that came true."

"Yeah, so…"

Ambrose smiled. "So it seems to me like your dreams aren't something to be shrugged off so lightly."

"So what, are you saying I can predict the future?" Kate said, trying to laugh it off even though she already knew it was true.

"You've never told anyone, have you?" Ambrose said.

"Well, what was I supposed to say? 'Mom, dad, I sometimes dream of things before they happen.' Please, I don't think even Lilly would believe that!"

Ambrose chuckled. "Ah, so you admit it!"

Kate mentally kicked herself for falling into that trap. But she was not about to give in. "It was probably this whole thing with me and Lilly today. I'm just stressed is all."

"No, I rather think it might be my doing," Ambrose said. "For one who has the gift, the proximity of another person so gifted heightens those abilities."

Kate now realized that Ambrose might be able to understand this hidden part of her life. "So, what are you saying? That this is what's going to happen? Death and destruction all around." She had tried to sound sarcastic, but she truly wanted to know if the old hermit could give her an answer.

"In my opinion, it's a warning," Ambrose said. "It's the type of thing that will happen if you continue this foolish path of vengeance you're on. You can keep it from happening, Kate, if you just–"

"If I just keep my pack from being bullied and insulted by these Yukon coyotes!" Kate said.

Ambrose shook his head in exasperation. "By Hermes, you have to be the most empty-headed collection of wolves I have ever seen. None of you listen when I talk!"

Kate was not happy about this. "What, aren't you offended too?" she barked. "You're a part of our pack, after all!"

Ambrose snarled. "I am not a part of your pack or any pack! Don't make the mistake of assuming I am!"

Kate backed up slightly, surprised by this sudden outburst. But she wasn't about to cease stating her case. "Look, Ambrose, I appreciate everything you did for us back when Lilith was around, but if you think that I'm going to let you tell me how to run this pack–"

"You'll what?" Ambrose taunted. "Treat me like you treated Lilly today? Hurting her for no reason! Making her think she did something that wasn't her fault?"

Kate realized that Ambrose knew something she had thought only her and her parents knew. "She's always been told she did it," Kate said quietly.

"But she didn't," Ambrose said. "In fact, she was nearly killed along with Melanie. And why was that?"

"I didn't mean to do it," Kate said, even more quietly. "It was all my fault. I wanted to tell her, but mom and dad wouldn't let me. They said they thought it was better for the pack if everyone thought she did it."

"And you've never told her," Ambrose said, "or even your mate."

"I can't tell her or Humphrey," Kate said. "They'd hate me for it. And I can't blame them..."

But then she suddenly realized something. "Hey, how could you possibly know about any of this?"

Ambrose smiled darkly. "Because I was there. I was the reason you only lost one sister that day."

Kate backed up more. She suddenly did not want to be having this conversation. "It was my fault because I was too irresponsible! I was irresponsible and Melanie paid the price! I vowed that would never happen again! And it won't, because this pack will not be pushed around by the Yukon!"

Ambrose shook his head. "There really is no way to make you listen to reason. Fine, on your own head be it." He turned to leave, apparently, looking as though he was going to jump straight off the cliff.

Something occurred to Kate. "Wait," she said. "We need you! With all of your knowledge and all of your power, you could help us! You could help keep us safe!"

"I am too old to be fighting battles that don't need to be fought, Kate," he said. Then he paused for a moment and sighed. "But there's someone I met on Hermitnet from around those parts. I'll let him know you're coming and maybe he can help."

Kate closed her eyes in relief. "Thank you, Ambrose," she said as she opened them. But he was already gone, as though he had faded into the wind.

"I've got to figure out how he does that," Kate said as she turned to leave the cliff, somewhat wiser and much sadder than she had been before.

* * *

**Will Kate's disastrous dream come true?**

**Read on.**


	7. Getting Ready

**Chapter Seven. Kate has just accepted the Yukon's challenge. Now it's time to get ready for it.**

**We're now getting really close to the part where our heroes actually set out for the north. One more chapter, or two at the most. I know this has been incredibly long for a prologue, but there was a lot of stuff that needed to be set up before everybody could go north. **

**As a heads-up, this might end up being my longest story. And if you've read some of my others, you know that is saying something. So there's much more story to come after this.**

* * *

Kate did not sleep again that night. Still afraid to go back to her and Humphrey's den, Kate did what she always did when she needed to clear her mind. She patrolled the pack's borders until dawn. However, she was still miserable when the other Alphas began to awaken and came to take over. No longer needed there, Kate decided to seek another place that would let her be alone with her thoughts. Finally, she decided upon a particular spot.

She made her way through the valley to the secluded field where the Western Pack had buried its dead since time immemorial. She passed many gravesites until she came to the one she was looking for; Melanie's grave. After the accident, Winston and Eve had led a party to retrieve the body and bury it here. Kate had never been there before – since both she and Lilly had witnessed Melanie die, their parents figured the grave and funeral would be too painful for them and left them at home. And neither she nor Lilly had ever visited the grave afterward, for the same reasons.

But Kate just knew where it would be. There was a hill around here where Melanie had liked to play, despite it being at the edge of the burial fields. Kate knew that was where their parents would have buried her.

As Kate approached the hill where, sure enough, there was a small mound marking a grave, she saw something – or someone – she wasn't expecting. A little white wolf, sobbing softly and quietly.

"Lilly?" Kate said in surprise.

Lilly swiftly turned around. Seeing Kate, she quickly wiped her eyes with her tail and began to hurry off.

"I-I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Kate ran beside her and grabbed her shoulder. "Lilly, it's okay… it's okay."

Lilly, not feeling much like rushing anyway, sat back down with Kate in front of their sister's grave. She quickly tried to hide her face and stop herself from crying. But this only made her cry more. Kate wanted to help her sister and she figured the best way to do it would be to put yesterday's argument behind them.

"Lilly, I'm the one who should be apologizing," Kate said. "I never should have yelled at you yesterday. And I never should have said… well, the thing I said. I was just really worked up about everything. But I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You know I didn't mean it, right?"

"I know, Kate, I know," Lilly said, trying to sound positive. But then Kate heard her mutter under her breath, "Doesn't make it hurt any less."

Kate thought about what she should do. Kate and Lilly had never spoken about what happened to their sister or even acknowledged amongst each other that they ever had one. It had always been an unspoken agreement between them, a way of saving them both from guilt and pain. So, Kate knew that Lilly must have been deeply worried and concerned to bring it up at all and she wondered if talking about it was the right thing to do. Maybe she should just let it stay buried with Melanie.

Kate looked over Lilly as the white wolf bravely tried to keep herself together. "Garth said it wasn't my fault," Lilly said as she looked at the grave, "but I… I couldn't sleep so I just snuck out here to think…"

They needed to talk about what happened, Kate decided. Lilly deserved to know the truth.

"Lilly, we need to talk about it," she said. "I know you and me never talked about it before but I think we–"

Suddenly, Lilly sat up straight and became calm. "Let's just forget about it, Kate," Lilly said in a professional-sounding voice. "What happened happened."

Kate admired how much her sister had grown as a leader, but she knew she had to press the issue. "No, Lilly, we really need to talk because it wasn't you–"

But she didn't get to finish her sentence. Suddenly, both Kate and Lilly felt the weight of two rust-colored forelegs land upon their shoulders.

"Miss Lilly, Miss Kate, my favorite pair of sisters," Edgar said loudly.

"Edgar, what are you doing here?" Kate said in exasperation. "This is the Western Pack burial field!"

Edgar slouched away a little. "I know that! And that's why I'm here. It's the one place the loan sharks'll never look. Too superstitious, don't you know? But since I know there's no such thing as ghosts, I decided to hang out until things cool down. Hey, but since you two are here, would you mind lending me some caribou meat to help me get out of debt? I tried to see if there was anything in some of these graves, but there were just some old bones."

Kate stared at him blankly. "Loan sharks? Debt? Grave robbery? Edgar, you're making less sense than usual."

"Edgar's been gambling," Lilly said quietly.

"Gambling, in Jasper?" Kate said in surprise. "There's never been gambling in Jasper!"

"Where have you been?" Edgar said. "How could you not know about the sensation I've caused?"

"I've kinda had other stuff on my mind," Kate answered testily. "But… how much gambling is going on here?"

"Oh, the whole Eastern Pack's hooked on it," Edgar said, "and it's spreading to the Western Pack, too!"

"Wait," Kate said, "you mean to tell me that, while I've been dealing with this northern threat, Jasper Park has turned into a den of depravity?"

"That's the size of it," Edgar said. "But how 'bout that caribou meat?"

"Go away, Edgar!" Kate commanded. "You'll be lucky if I don't have you exiled for desecrating our burial ground!"

"What, I put all the bones back… and I think in mostly the right graves too!" Edgar turned to Lilly. "What about you, Miss Lilly? I can always rely on you, can't I?"

"Sorry, but I think you're too much in debt as it is," Lilly said.

"Well, that's friendship for you," Edgar said. "But hey, what are you two doing in the burial field? Are you also grave robbing?"

Neither of the sisters answered. Then Edgar noticed the small mound in front of them. "Hey, a burial mound, what's that doing there?" Edgar said. "Oh, wait, that's where your sister is buried, right? The one Miss Lilly murdered, right?"

Lilly burst into tears.

"Lilly didn't murder her!" Kate said.

"But you were there," Edgar said, "so you know that…. Unless… Kate, did she get to you?"

"Edgar," Kate began to say, trying one last time to settle this rationally (though for the life of her she didn't know why).

"She did get to you!" Edgar said. "Did she threaten to kill you? Did she threaten to kill Humphrey?"

Lilly's crying intensified.

"Edgar…"

"She did! It's okay, Kate, we can get you and Humphrey into the witness protection program. I bet she said she'd execute him gangland style, just like she did her sister!"

Lilly began to wail. The thought of beating Edgar up badly briefly crossed Kate's mind. But before Edgar got to decide for himself whether Lilly had indeed had threatened to execute Humphrey, they heard another female shout, "There he is! I'm gonna wring his neck!"

Claw and Scar came running along the field. Edgar quickly grabbed Lilly and pushed her in front of him. The surprise of it had managed to get Lilly to stop crying.

"Edgar," Lilly said. "I thought you paid off Claw and Scar."

"Oh, this isn't about his debts!" Claw yelled. "This is about the ones we got after he told us to bet that Hutch wouldn't be able to get a caribou today."

"I heard he sprained his ankle!" Edgar protested. "It was a sure thing!"

"Edgar, you told me you weren't going to do anymore sports betting," Lilly said. Kate was lost as to what this whole conversation meant. Maybe she had been focusing on the Yukon Pack too much….

"Who said anything about betting? I've moved on to sports touting now!" Edgar said proudly. "I don't bet; instead I tell other people how to bet, based on my expertise and experience. And then they pay me when they win!"

"Except we never win!" Scar broke in, thrusting his teeth in Edgar's face and causing Edgar to hide his head behind Lilly's shoulder.

"Claw, Scar, what did I tell you about this?" Lilly said. "If you can't settle your problems with Edgar nicely, I'm going to have to settle them for you."

Claw and Scar backed away a little. "N-n-n-no, that's alright, Miss Lilly," Claw said. "We'll think of something!"

"Good," Lilly said with a nod.

"And besides, this is a burial ground," Kate said, finally thinking of something she could add to this surreal conversation. "You three all need to have a little more respect. I mean, Edgar digging up bodies and then you two yelling about your losses. That won't be tolerated here."

Claw, Scar, and Edgar just stared blankly at her, apparently not about to take orders from the leader of the Western Pack.

"Do what she says," Lilly said quietly.

Claw and Scar jumped back. "Yes, ma'am," they both stuttered out before high-tailing it out of there. Even Edgar put a few paces between himself and the sisters.

"Wow, Lilly," Kate said, "they really respect you! I'm impressed."

"You just have to know how to handle them, is all," was Lilly's sad reply. Kate noticed that she was looking back at the grave.

Kate remembered that she wanted to talk to Lilly about their sister and now that Edgar was apparently scoping out other graves to rob, now was as good a time as any. "Lilly, about Melanie–"

"Lilly, Kate, I've been looking all over for the two of you," came a voice behind them. They looked to see Garth coming their way. Garth's emerald eyes moved from them to Edgar, inspecting a large grave a few feet away.

"Edgar, what are you – forget it, I don't want to know," Garth said and turned his attention back to his mate and sister-in-law. "If we're going up north, I think we should figure out who we're taking so that we can start making preparations."

This snapped Kate out of her previous mood. "What? Oh, right. I've already decided on Hutch and Can-do."

Garth nodded. "I'm thinking about Claw and Scar."

"And me!" Edgar said, forgetting the grave and rushing toward them.

"What do you think, honey?" Garth said to Lilly. "Do you approve of Claw and Scar?"

"And me!" Edgar, now beside Lilly, said again.

Lilly nodded without looking up. "Yeah, Claw and Scar sound fine," she said weakly.

"And me!" Edgar said, now running up to Garth.

"No, not you," Garth said. "Kate and I are only taking Alphas with us. You can stay here with Lilly and Humphrey."

"But I am an Alpha!" Edgar protested.

"Not anymore," Garth said dryly.

"Exactly, and that's the problem!" Edgar said. "See, if your dad had never demoted me, I wouldn't need to gamble! I only do it because I need the excitement, the action, the thrill of life and death! And how else can you get that other than being an Alpha?"

Garth stared at him. "How is it that everything you do wrong is always somebody else's fault instead of your own?"

"Because I'm perfect," Edgar said. "But I need to go to the Yukon with you guys. I mean, the Central Saskatchewan Pack is hosting a major winner-take-all poker tournament and if we could just maybe spend a few days there before–"

"No, Edgar, you are not going!" Garth said, losing his patience. Edgar was giving him a headache again.

Edgar's ears drooped down. "Oh, okay sir. Fine. I guess I'll just stay here and try to keep from having my legs broken."

As he walked away, Kate yelled after him. "And if I ever catch you desecrating our graves ever again, you won't have to worry about the loan sharks! Not if I get to you first!"

Edgar now broke into a run.

"Okay, it's settled, then," Garth said. He was eager to get off the uncomfortable subject of grave robbery and back to the preparations.

That is why he asked, "So, Kate, did you tell Humphrey any of this yet?"

Kate smiled and chuckled nervously.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Humphrey, I really wasn't going to push you off," Mooch said as he, Humphrey, and Shakey were preparing a log-sled. "It's just that Edgar offered me all this caribou meat if we won and my belly kinda took over for a second."

Humphrey rolled his eyes. "My hero! It's good to know I can trust you with my life… until someone offers you some food!"

"Humphrey, it's not like that, really," Mooch began to explain. "I mean, I'm almost fifty-percent sure I would have backed out of it before actually injuring you. And besides, you can live with a broken leg, right?"

Humphrey smiled. "Yeah, but could you live when I tell Kate? She's not Eve's daughter for nothing, you know!"

Though Humphrey had meant it as a joke, Mooch seemed to take it seriously. Humphrey laughed as the big wolf ran about a mile back and shuttered. As Mooch finally got up the courage to come back over, Humphrey asked, "Hey, how come Salty's not here?"

"Loan sharks broke his jaw," Shakey said matter-of-factly. "So he can't do any log-sledding until it's healed."

Humphrey shook his head. "Oh, not you guys too! Is everybody gambling?"

"We're not, not anymore," Mooch said.

"Yeah, we don't want to mess with those sharks," Shakey said. "I think I'm going to have nightmares about those two!"

"Anybody I know?" Humphrey asked.

"Oh, do you ever!" his two friends said together.

"Yeah, they're–" but Shakey was interrupted by the sound of someone running through the grass. Suddenly, Hutch and Can-do ran past them.

"Hey, where you guys off to in such a hurry?" Humphrey said. "Meet up with a particularly bad-tempered caribou?"

Hutch looked over his shoulder. "Kate wants to see us. She's chosen us to go up north with her. She's planning on leaving in the next few days."

Humphrey was stunned. Another decision he had not been consulted on. "Oh no, she isn't. Not without me. Not this time," he said under his breath. And before Shakey and Mooch knew what happened, Humphrey ran after the two Betas.

* * *

After making his way across almost the length of Canada, the haughty tan wolf had finally reached the incredibly tall mountain that served as his chief's home. He entered the den at the summit and immediately gave a bow.

"Ah, Justin, you've returned," said the golden wolf, still hidden in the shadows of his den. Justin watched him as he ran his large golden tail over a piece of bark. The gold wolf was painting another picture.

"Yes, sire," Justin said respectfully.

"And?"

"Kate has accepted our challenge."

The golden wolf let out a high-pitched, evil laugh. "Excellent! Excellent! Revenge is finally within my grasp! Finally, Kate shall get what's coming to her and her arrogance shall be punished! Would you believe she had the nerve to marry an Omega?"

The golden wolf got particularly angry as he said this last part.

"I know, sire," Justin said. "I've seen the movie too."

The golden wolf calmed down a little. "Yes, but it won't matter. They'll both soon be dead! Here and her filthy boyfriend."

"Um, how do we know she's going to actually going to come up here?" Justin asked, trying to say this in the most respectful tone he could.

"You remember what Kate's like," said the gold wolf. "She always had to be the best at everything. Now that she accepted our challenge, she won't dare change her mind. I've been playing her all along and the fool has no idea she's being played!"

The gold wolf laughed again. Though Justin admittedly did not see the humor in this, he laughed as well, in order to keep his master happy. Then he decided to inquire about the artwork, which he could tell was another painting of Kate.

"So what's this portrait of?' Justin asked, walking closer.

The golden wolf, though he had not finished, stepped back proudly to let Justin admire his work. It was a picture of Kate in the center, with Humphrey on one side and Lilly and Garth on the other. But Kate was the largest and most detailed. They were all beaten up and bloody, and were turned upside down, pinned up by their tails as though they were newly-caught giant fish. Surrounding them were a number of giant Yukon wolves laughing and taunting them.

"I think when it's finished, I'll display it at the entrance to the valley with the words, 'Warm Welcomes to the Wolves of Jasper.' What do you think?"

"A masterpiece, as always," Justin said, knowing that flattery was the best course.

"Justin, you always were my best lieutenant. Not like that rat Benny," said the golden wolf. "I have some special work for you when Kate and company get here. So be ready; it won't be long before our visitors arrive! And then they'll never leave here again!"

* * *

**What will Humphrey say to Kate? What trap is being laid for them in the Yukon?**

**Read on.**


	8. Final Preparations

**Like I said before, this is the second-to-last chapter before we leave Jasper and head north. Everything's on track for our heroes to leave Jasper next chapter. I actually was going to include that here, but it would make this one much too long, so I decided to go with two chapters after all. **

**Anyway, here we find out if Kate is really going to leave Humphrey behind.**

* * *

Kate had just finished going over the preparations with Hutch and Can-do when she saw Humphrey appear in her line of vision.

"Kate!" he called out. "We need to talk!"

Kate quickly turned away and made like she was walking in the other direction. But it was too late; she couldn't get away from Humphrey without it being obvious that she was avoiding him.

To escape from this situation, she would have to actually run away, and then Humphrey would _know _she was avoiding him.

Humphrey ran in between Kate and the two Betas. Kate pretended like she was just noticing him for the first time.

"Kate, Kate, Kate," he said, "What's this whole deal about going to the north already? I know you accepted the challenge – which I had to hear from Shakey and Mooch because you never told me – but now you're planning just to run up there like nobody's business?"

Kate sighed. "Humphrey, we don't have any time to lose. The longer we sit on this thing, the more dangerous it becomes. The sooner we get there, the less time they'll have to prepare."

"Or we could, you know, drop this whole 'going north' idea in the first place," Humphrey countered.

Kate shook her head and turned to walk away. "We are not having this conversation again, Humphrey."

"But–" Humphrey began.

"And that is final!" Kate barked. Humphrey jumped back. He actually thought he could hear Eve in Kate's voice.

Regaining his courage, Humphrey continued. "Fine, if Jasper's going on this field trip, then it's going on this field trip. I mean, silly me for thinking my opinion actually mattered to you or anything. But you can't go up there without me! You need me, remember?"

"No, Humphrey," Kate said. "Absolutely not. It's too dangerous for you up there. Besides, we need you and Lilly to stay behind so that somebody will still be in charge of the pack."

"I'm not staying behind," came a small voice from behind them. They both looked in surprise to see Lilly approaching them with Garth by her side. "I'm coming too."

"No, you are not!" Kate said. "You could get killed up there, Lilly. Just think of what mom and dad would say!"

"You said it yourself, mom and dad aren't here anymore," Lilly said. "Besides, I may be an Omega, but it's my duty too."

Kate turned to Garth. "Garth, I can't believe you're going along with this!"

Garth did not seem too happy about it, but he remained firm. "She's coming, Kate. And that's our decision to make, not yours. Given everything she's just been through, I don't want to leave Lilly here alone. She needs her friends and family right now. Plus, I won't be able to protect her if I'm not with her."

"Not that I need protecting," Lilly said quietly. So quietly, in fact, that nobody seemed to hear her.

"Besides," Garth said, saying this part in a low voice because it embarrassed him, "Claw and Scar refused to go unless Lilly went with us."

"See," Humphrey said, "Lilly's going, so how bad can things be for Omegas? If she gets to go, then I should get to go too!"

Kate growled. "Well, Humphrey, if my sister jumped off a cliff, would you do that too?"

Suddenly, Lilly burst out into tears. Kate immediately recognized how poor her choice of words was, all things considered. Garth hugged his mate and glared at Kate.

"Lilly, I didn't mean it," Kate tried to apologize. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

"What else is new?" Humphrey muttered behind her.

Kate immediately spun around. "Listen, Humphrey–"

"No, you listen, Kate!" Humphrey said. "You need me up north. I know it and you know it. I mean, how many times have I saved your life now? Ten? Fifteen? Twenty? If Edgar was here, we could have him take bets on it!"

"Ah, more gambling!" Kate said, throwing up her paws in disgust.

"I could bet some bitter berries on it!" Can-do said.

Kate pointed at him. "You stay out of this!"

"Ma'am, I think Humphrey has a good point," Hutch added.

"I'm your immediate superior and you're taking _his_ side?" Kate asked in anger and confusion.

Hutch and Can-do shrugged and then nodded an affirmation.

But Kate was thankful to now have an excuse to turn toward a different subject. She faced Garth. "I've been meaning to talk to you about what I just learned regarding Edgar. Did you know he's running a gambling operation here in our valley?"

Garth looked at her in surprise. "Where have you been? Everybody knows that."

"We knew that," Can-do added unhelpfully.

Then Hutch whispered to him, "Yes! We're finally not the last wolves to know something important about the pack!"

Hutch and Can-do fist-bumped over this rare occurrence.

"Take it easy, Kate," Garth said. "I've been investigating and I've discovered that there's someone in the Eastern Pack who's bankrolling all this gambling but nobody wants to tell me who it is. But when I find this person, I'll be sure to punish them. You can count on that."

Lilly shook her head a little. "Um, Garth, don't you think punishing them is a little harsh? I mean, it's just a little fun, after all."

Kate felt like she was about to lose her cool completely. There seemed to be no argument she could win today. "I devote my every waking moment to keep this pack safe and orderly, only to turn around one day and discover that, behind my back, we've become a den of depravity the likes of Xanadu, Babylon, and the Central Saskatchewan Pack!"

"Don't even joke about comparing us to the Central Saskatchewan Pack, Kate," Humphrey said. "That is just wrong."

Kate buried her head in her paws. "I can't do this right now!"

Humphrey realized his mate was starting to have a nervous breakdown and decided that fighting was doing neither of them any good. He put his paw on her shoulder. "Kate, you and me are in this together. I know you're worried about not being able to protect me, but just leaving me here won't help at all, because then I can't protect you. We're a team, remember, and we look out for each other. Even though I still don't agree with going up north, that doesn't change the fact that we're on each other's side through thick and thin. And where you go, I go."

Kate now looked up from her paws. She smiled. "You're right, Humphrey. We need each other, especially when things are at their worst. You can come. But if you dare get yourself killed–"

"I know, you'll kill me," Humphrey said with a smile.

"Uh-huh, and don't you forget it," Kate answered.

"Does this mean I don't get to bet on how many times Humphrey saved Kate?" Can-do asked.

"Oh, that reminds me," Lilly said. "Garth, I think we should take Edgar with us."

"What?" Humphrey, Kate, and Garth shouted together.

Lilly smiled shyly. "Well, he is one of the best Alphas in the Eastern Pack."

"He was," Garth said, "until dad demoted him, remember?"

This conversation was not going in a direction that gave Lilly confidence. So she hid her face with her tail before continued. "Yeah, but he still is one of the toughest wolves in the east. And we need all the help we can get up there."

Garth looked at Kate and Humphrey with a 'What do I do?' look on his face.

"Hey, don't look at us," Humphrey said. "He's your subordinate."

"Thanks for reminding me," Garth said sarcastically.

"It's what I live for," Humphrey responded with a smile.

"Besides," Lilly continued, her voice muffled by her tail, which she had now burrowed her head into, "if Edgar comes with us, that means he can't spread any more gambling in the valley…"

Garth had to admit the logic of this point. Finally he nodded wearily. "I know I'm going to regret this every second of every day we're up there, but he can come."

Lilly lifted her head out of her tail and smiled. "Oh, okay then! I'll send Claw and Scar to go find him!"

* * *

Edgar slowly backed away from the wolf pacing toward him. "I meant to get the money, I really did!" he protested, fear cracking up his voice. "But it's been a bad week!"

"Funny," came the wolf's soft female voice, "that's the exact same thing Salty said to us… before we broke his jaw."

Edgar continued to back away. "Hey, but I'm not like that deadbeat! I really intended to pay! How was I supposed to know that the 'caribou meat' those vegetarians gave me was really tofu? If you'd just give me another week–"

"See, now there's the problem," said the sweet voice. "We'd love to be able to give you an extension, but if we did that, then more people would want one. And then nobody would ever pay up. And, you can understand, that's _very bad_… for business!"

"Please, Sweets!" Edgar pleaded. "I won't be like that. I can guarantee I'll have everything to you next week! With interest! I just need to get on a good winning streak and then–"

"Ah-ah-ah," Sweets cut him off. "You've had your chance. Now it's time to pay the penalty."

Edgar continued to back away until he noticed another shadow on the ground by his. He turned around to see Candy standing behind him, tapping a large and bulky tree branch against her paw. She began to growl.

Edgar fell down on his knees. "No, please, don't! I'll get the caribou, honest! I'll steal it if I have to, just don't break my legs!"

Sweets gave Candy the signal to break his legs. Candy pulled back, getting ready to strike, when the two loan-sharks the voice of heard another female. "Stop!"

They looked in surprise to see Claw and Scar standing right next to them, both poised to attack if need be. "Leave him alone!" Claw ordered. "He's under our protection!"

Edgar quickly crawled between Claw and Scar and did not stop until he was safely behind them.

"Hey, what gives?" Sweets said. "We're just trying to run an honest business here!"

"Yeah, we have a right to our customers," Candy added, hiding the tree branch behind her back. "We weren't doing anything wrong!"

"Hey, these orders don't come from me," Claw said. "Believe me, if I had my way, his legs would have been broken a long time ago. But these orders come straight from Lilly, and she doesn't want him hurt."

"_Lilly!_" Sweets and Candy shouted together, both beginning to shake.

"Yeah, you better be afraid," Edgar shouted. "Lilly murdered her own sister, you know. Tore her head clean off and everything – with one paw! Then she used it as a football."

Sweets held out her paws to signal the Eastern wolves to stay calm. "Now, now, there's no reason for trouble here. We didn't know it was like that. Had we known that he was under Lilly's protection, we would never have, um, 'negotiated' with him. You'll tell her that, right?"

"We'll try to remember," Scar said sarcastically. He then grabbed Edgar and two escorted him out of danger.

* * *

About a week had passed and now nearly all the preparations were complete. All the wolves going up north; Kate, Humphrey, Lilly, Garth, Hutch, Can-do, Claw, Scar, and Edgar, were gathered in Lilly and Garth's den to discuss how they were going to get to the Yukon.

Kate was standing in front of all of them with a large map of Canada's major railways behind her. (Always interesting, the things you find in the human campsites.)

"Okay, so we're going to board one the cargo train that goes through Jasper at about noon. That should take us into Calgary. From there, we can board a train – all without being seen by the humans, remember – that will take us into the Northwest Territories. But from there, we're on our own. From what we've been able to find out, the Yukon Pack's, um, I think they call it a _capital_, is in the very north of the Yukon, up along the Northwest Passage leading into the Beaufort Sea. We're going to have to trek across the Northwest Territories and the Yukon ourselves in order to get there."

Most of the wolves' jaws dropped as Kate indicated the great distance involved. Kate rolled her eyes.

"We're wolves," she said. "I think we'll survive a little hiking."

"I've heard of a little hiking, but this is crazy!" Humphrey said. Hutch and Can-do muttered their agreement.

"Come on!" Kate said, trying to lift their spirits. "We're the Jasper Expeditionary Force, the best of the best the United Pack has to offer!"

"The Jasper Expediti-what now?" Humphrey said, trying to get his mind around it.

"Yeah, it's the new name I thought up for us," Kate said. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"That depends, do we get team t-shirts?" Edgar asked from the back.

Kate looked at him in disbelief. "Uh, no."

"Oh," Edgar said, "then it's a lame name."

"You want to come up with a better one?" Kate said.

"I bet I could!" Edgar retorted.

"Edgar, when are you going to stop making foolish bets?" Humphrey shot back.

But, while this was going on, Garth was lost in thought. He was neither impressed by Kate's new team name nor concerned about the long march through the Yukon. Instead, he had another problem on his mind. "Hey, it just occurred to me. If Lilly and Humphrey are coming with us, who are we going to leave behind to manage the pack?"

Kate froze on the spot. She mentally kicked herself for meticulously planning the journey north yet having completely forgotten to get someone else to lead the pack in her family's absence.

Lilly now spoke up, staring down at her paws while she talked so that she didn't see everybody looking at her. "Well, um, I have an idea…"

* * *

**Who did Lilly have in mind?**

**Read on.**


	9. Setting Out

**Well, we finally made it to the chapter where our heroes set out on their epic journey. See, I kept my promise. Now the story is really going to kick into high-gear.**

**Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed the first part of "Perils of the North." It means a lot to me to have you guys reading and reviewing, and I hope you'll all continue to do so with the parts to come. I've got some big twists and turns planned, so if you've read this far, I don't think you'll be disappointed.**

**Also, stayed tuned for another chapter of "Wolves on Film" due out soon.**

* * *

"No, Lilly, absolutely not," Kate said after she heard Lilly's proposal. "I am not going to turn over the United Pack to a lunatic like that!"

"Come on, Kate," Lilly said quietly. "He's tough and he's smart and he's the only one who knows the pack as well as we do…"

"No, no, no," Kate said. "Not him. I'd leave anyone in charge instead of him. I'd leave Edgar in charge instead of him!"

"Hey!" Edgar said proudly from the back. "Right on!"

"Shut up, Edgar," Garth commanded.

"I don't know," Humphrey said. "Lilly does make a good point. I mean, who are we going to leave in charge? The whole pack's so hooked on gambling that we'll probably come back to find that Jasper's been turned into a casino if we turn it over to anybody else!"

"Actually, I've been looking into having us registered as an Indian tribe," Edgar began. "Then we could build as many casinos as we want!"

"Shut up, Edgar!" Garth once again commanded.

'I mean, our ancestors have been living in this valley for, what, thousands of years?" Edgar continued. "I think that qualifies us as an indigenous people sure enough!"

"Shut up, Edgar!" All the Eastern wolves shouted together.

Kate was quick to regain control of the conversation. "As I was saying, we are absolutely, in no way whatsoever, ever possibly going to leave in charge someone like–"

The sound of lightning was heard suddenly in the sky. And in the entrance to the den stood an ancient white wolf, surveying them all with a look of wisdom – or madness – in his eyes.

"Ambrose…" Kate said, almost lost for words.

"A lunatic now, am I?" Ambrose asked.

"How long… how long were you eavesdropping?" Kate said, regaining some of her fire with the last word.

Ambrose shook his head. "I wasn't eavesdropping. I just felt my ears burning…"

"Ambrose, will you take over the pack while we're gone?" Lilly asked before Kate could stop her.

"No, he will not!" Kate barked. "The pack doesn't know him nor do they respect him. They'd just see him as some old wolf with no right to boss them around. It wouldn't work."

"Oh, don't worry, Kate, they'd learn to respect me," Ambrose said darkly. But then his old humor suddenly returned. "But you all seem to be assuming that I would want the job. Didn't I seclude myself to avoid the company of other wolves? I have no interest in your affairs."

"You see, he has no interest in our affairs," Kate said triumphantly.

"But I do know of a way to solve your problem," continued Ambrose, causing Kate to shake her head in disbelief. "At the edge of your territory, there is a cave, a cave which is eternally frozen over with ice. A cave wherein no mortal has set foot for generations. In that cave, there can be found–"

"No offense, Ambrose," Kate interrupted, "but the last thing we need right now is another one of your magical solutions. After last time, I think we all know better than to get involved with any of that!"

"As if you're not already involved," Ambrose remarked. "But suit yourself. If you don't want my help, I'll just be going."

Ambrose turned to leave, but Lilly quickly ran up and grabbed onto his shoulder. "Mr. Ambrose," said she, "please reconsider. Please take over our pack for us. We don't have anybody else and if you did it, we'd be really, really, really, really, really grateful!"

Ambrose turned around and saw Lilly's large lavender lights pleading with him. He smiled. "Well, when you put it that way, little lady, I guess I can make sure things don't get too far out of line. It seems to me like you need someone to sort out this gambling business anyway! Wolves gambling, just imagine! Ah, the things you pups get up to these days."

"Oh, thank you!" Lilly said, hugging him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"The least I can do, my charming little friend," said he.

"Hey, hey, hey, hold on," Kate said. "Didn't I just say we weren't leaving Ambrose in charge?"

"Oh, come on, sis, you know we don't have anybody else," Lilly said, letting go of Ambrose and turning to face her sister.

"Hey, I'm perfectly fine with it," Humphrey said.

"I agree with Humphrey," Garth added.

Humphrey shivered. "That's, what, the second time in a week that you've agreed with me, Garth? No offense, but it's starting to creep me out!"

Garth just rolled his eyes.

"Um, ma'am," Hutch said to Kate. "It looks like you're outvoted."

"Well, that's democracy for you," Kate muttered. She was unhappy that she was getting so little support, but was not about to back down.

Ambrose now moved past Lilly and over to Kate. He smiled warmly at her. "Kate, you are like an overprotective mother! It's as if you don't trust me with your precious pack! And here I am, trying to help you with this foolish northern venture! I got a message back from my friend up north, you know, and he says he'll keep a lookout for you. But if my efforts aren't appreciated around here, maybe I should just tell him to forget the whole thing…"

"Sis, what's he talking about?" Lilly asked. "What friend up north?"

"It's not important," Kate said. But to her it was very important. She knew that whoever Ambrose's friend was, he must be a powerful wolf like Ambrose himself was. And they could use all the help they could get. So, it was best, Kate figured, not to alienate Ambrose or his northern friend. Besides, what was the worst Ambrose could do to her pack? After all, he was on their side. Or at least she thought he was…

Finally, Kate nodded. "Fine, Ambrose. You get to have the pack. But you have to sort out this gambling mess while we're gone, understand. Oh, and don't mess anything up!"

"Do I ever mess anything up?" Ambrose said with a smirk.

* * *

The big day had finally arrived. All the preparations were in order and now it was time to move out. Kate and Lilly were waiting on a hill above the train-tracks, with the Betas behind them. They had sent Humphrey and Garth to make one last sweep of the pack territories to make sure everything in the valley had been taken care of and so were now waiting for their mates to return. The whole pack had turned out to see our heroes off and were expectantly awaiting the train. But everyone had gotten rather bored waiting for Garth and Humphrey to come back.

But this did give Lilly a chance to remember something. "Oh, I forgot to tell you," said she. "Marcel and Paddy stopped by the other day. They brought a post-card from mom and dad."

"Hmm?" Kate said, facing the tracks and only half listening. "How's their vacation to Niagara Falls going?"

"Dad says him and Tony are having a great time, getting a lot of relaxation in," Lilly answered.

Kate turned her head toward Lilly, her interest now legitimately peaked. Not by what Lilly had said, but by what she hadn't. "But what about mom?" Kate asked.

Lilly smiled bashfully as she thought about it. Slowly, she said, "Well, um, you know that guy who went over Niagara Falls in a barrel a few days ago?"

"Yeah…" Kate really didn't know where Lilly was going with this.

"He was trying to get away from mom," Lilly said.

"Did he?"

Lilly shook her head. "No."

Kate couldn't help chuckling. "Well, then I guess mom's having a good time too."

But even with this bit of fun news, Kate couldn't help but feel impatient. She had meticulously planned this moment for two weeks and she did not want it ruined because Humphrey or Garth had gotten lost. They were supposed to have been back ten minutes ago.

"Come on, where are they?" Kate said.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Lilly said.

Just as she had finished speaking, they heard the distinct paw-steps of Humphrey and Garth coming in their direction.

"Sorry we're late," Garth said. "Reba and Janice chained themselves to a tree at the edge of the Great Lesser Clearing to protest our contest with the north."

"The Great Lesser Clearing? Isn't that bear country?" Kate asked.

"Which is why we had to get them out of there," Humphrey said as he cradled his foreleg, in which were three large (but, fortunately, not deep) scratch marks. "Came this close to being lunch for a couple of nasty grizzlies. But luckily Garth was there."

Garth smiled. "Just doing my job."

"Would you two stop getting along?" Kate said, annoyed. "Now it really is getting creepy!"

Humphrey and Garth exchanged awkward glances, but before they could say anything, a loud rumbling was heard in the distance. It was the sound of the Canadian Express, bound for Calgary, and it was coming their way.

Kate breathed a sigh of relief. "We didn't miss it! Okay, everyone, on my count, we'll jump in."

As the train got closer, Kate said, "One," and the wolves moved toward the track.

"Two." They broke into a run.

"Three!" Kate, Humphrey, Lilly, and Garth, followed by the Betas, made a jump for an open car. Everybody landed easily inside… Everybody except Lilly. As she landed, her back paws slipped and she nearly fell out of the car.

"Lilly!" Kate and Garth screamed together. Garth quickly made a dive toward the edge and grabbed her in his forelegs, pulling her safely into the car. He put her down beside him and they both took a moment to catch their breath.

"What?" Lilly said sweetly as she realized everyone was staring at her. "I would have made it in anyway!"

Kate, Humphrey, and Garth couldn't help but laugh at that.

It wasn't long, however, until a new problem broke out. No sooner had they recovered from the scare of Lilly nearly falling out of the car that they heard the sounds of a scuffle. The four leaders turned quickly to see Can-do and Scar at each other's throats.

Hutch and Claw were just barely managing to hold back their temperamental partners.

"The lower left corner of the car is mine!" Scar barked as Claw tried to restrain him.

"No it isn't!" Can-do yelled as Hutch put all his strength into holding him back. "I need to have the lower left corner or else I'll get train-sick!"

"Can-do, how do you know you'll get train-sick?" Hutch said. "You've never been in a train before!"

"No, but I've seen pictures!" Can-do shot back.

Using all their might, Can-do and Scar managed to pull themselves free of their partners' grasps. They charged toward one another. But just before impact, Edgar jumped in between them.

"Come on, now," Edgar said, "instead of fighting, why don't we settle this like gentlewolves?"

"And how do you propose we do that?" Can-do said, obviously unhappy that someone else had stopped him from bashing Scar's head in.

Edgar now pulled out his deck of cards. "With a friendly game of chance, of course…"

Kate, Humphrey, Garth, and Claw all groaned at the suggestion.

"It's going to be a long train-ride," Kate said.

And so our heroes sped off from the safety and security of Jasper Park and towards the perils of the unknown. At this moment, none of them could possibly imagine \what this fateful journey had in store for them. For even now, their enemy was plotting their destruction and it will take all of their strength and cunning to escape the Yukon alive.

* * *

**_Here ends Book the First of Perils of the North_**

**Read on.**


	10. Calgary

**Well, two days until the end of the world - Somehow I don't think I'll get this story finished in time. ;) But here's another chapter of "Perils of the North" anyway.**

**I meant to get the next chapter of "Wolves on Film" out before this, but with final exams and everything, it didn't happen. But I've got a new poll up about whether I should work on Book II of this story or finish up "Wolves on Film" next. If you have an opinion, be sure to vote.**

**Author's Disclaimer: I have never been to Calgary and don't really know what it looks like, so to anybody who lives there or has been there, please forgive me if I get any details wrong.**

* * *

_**Here Begins Book the Second of Perils of the North**_

**II. Northwest Passage. II.**

* * *

**"For dark my mother was in eyes and hair,**

**And dark in hair and eyes am I: and dark**

**Was Gorloīs, yea and dark was Uther too,**

**Wellnigh to blackness, but this King is fair**

**Beyond the race of Britons and of men."**

**- Queen Bellicent of Orkney**

**Alfred, Lord Tennyson, ****_Idylls of the King_**

* * *

It was early morning as the Canadian National pulled into the main train station of Calgary and came to a stop. Soon, attendants came around and busied themselves with loading and unloading various items of cargo. However, there was certain cargo which they missed completely, largely because it walked out of the train when they were not looking. This was the eight wolves, residents of Jasper National Park, arriving in the city for the first time.

"Ah, Calgary," Edgar said as he stepped out onto the platform, "home of the 1988 Winter Olympics, the Calgary Stampede, and Bret Hart!"

"So this is what the big city looks like," Humphrey said, looking out at the towering rooftops beyond the station. "I always wondered where humans actually live."

Garth and Lilly followed behind them. "Now stay close to me," Garth said to Lilly. "Human cities are filled with all kinds of dangers and I don't want to you to get hurt. You never know how many drug-fueled knife-wielding gangbangers are around every corner!"

"Yeah, I'm sure the all the big mafia bosses and drug cartels use Calgary as a headquarters," Humphrey said sarcastically. Garth just sneered at him.

"Garth does have a point," Kate said as she stepped out in front of the rest. "Even if he is exaggerating a little. Humans in cities aren't big fans of wolves so we have to keep a low profile. Let's just find what train is going up north and get on it before the humans catch on."

"You always know how to spoil our fun, don't you, Kate?" Humphrey joked. "Just because we might end up getting ourselves killed or something silly like that."

Kate smiled at Humphrey's humor. But her smile was quickly gone as she turned her attention to trying to find a schedule to tell when the next train was leaving.

"Hey, do you guys think they have any casinos in Calgary?" Edgar asked suddenly.

Kate turned on him. "Oh no, we are not putting ourselves at risk of exposure to the humans so you can do more gambling!"

"Come on, Kate," Edgar said, "This might be my only chance to hit it big in a big-time casino. After all, they gotta have some illegal ones around here. I mean, Humphrey said that this city is the headquarters of the Mafia."

"I was joking, Edgar," Humphrey said flatly. "I was mocking Garth with sarcasm. I know I shouldn't do it around wolves of limited intelligence, but I just love the way he always gets that pouty face when he's the brunt of a joke!"

Garth growled.

"Look, he's doing it right now!" Humphrey said, pointing at him and laughing.

"He does that pouty face whenever he doesn't get his way!" Lilly said, joining in the laughter. "Which is only… all the time in our den!"

"Et tu, Lilly?" Garth muttered as he glared down at his mate. From the look in his eyes, it was obvious that he felt hurt and betrayed by Lilly's joining in Humphrey's mocking.

Catching his glare, Lilly stopped laughing and hid her face in guilt. "Sorry…" she said.

Kate had not stuck around long enough to see this all play out. She was looking all over for a schedule. The Betas: Hutch, Can-do, Claw, and Scar, had themselves started to look around. When Humphrey, Lilly, Garth, and Edgar realized this, they quickly followed.

After fifteen minutes, Kate and the others were not having any luck. They couldn't find anything that would tell them the train schedule. But then something caught Kate's eye. At one of the stations, a black and a tan Great Dane, obviously station-master's dogs, were sitting and watching the trains come and go. While Kate was hesitant to ask for directions from city-animals, she figured that if anybody should know the train schedule, they should.

"Excuse me," Kate said, walking up to them, "but do you know which of these trains is bound for the Northwest Territories? You see, we're coming from Jasper and–"

"Why don't you just go back to where you came from, sweetheart," the older, black Great Dane said. "We don't appreciate your kind hanging around here."

"My… kind?" Kate said, confused.

"You wolves wouldn't be able to understand city life," the Dane said rudely. "Savages never can."

"Who you calling savage?" Kate barked, looking frighteningly like her mother. "I'll have you know that the Jasper Pack is the greatest group of canines in all Canada."

"In all the world," Garth corrected her.

"I thought we agreed we were going to shoot for North America," Humphrey said, trying to defuse tension. "Well, me and Lilly didn't agree, but when the Alphas have their mind on something, I guess it really doesn't matter what the Omegas think."

"Shut up, Humphrey," Kate scolded over her shoulder. Then she turned back to the dogs. "Those are pretty tough words coming from two sniveling pets. At least we don't have to rely on anyone for our supper."

"No, because you kill it yourselves, just like all barbarians do," the black dog said.

"Maybe I'll just kill you and be done with it!" Kate did not actually intend to kill him, but she was in a rage and the words just burst out of her mouth.

The black dog laughed. "Make a single threatening move in my direction and I'll have the station-master down here with a rifle so fast none of you will ever stand a chance!"

"Hm, you pampered pooches can't even fight your own battles!" Kate shot back.

"You can see why I married her," Humphrey cut in, trying to keep this from escalating more. "They don't call her Miss Congeniality for nothing! In fact, they don't call her Miss Congeniality at all!"

"Shut up, Humphrey!" Kate yelled.

"Of course, they always have to fight amongst themselves, don't they?" the black dog muttered in satisfaction.

"Not that we aren't grateful for the warm welcome you've shown us," Humphrey continued, turning his attention to the two dogs. "I mean, I'm just basking in the love radiating off of you right now."

The black Great Dane snarled. "First the savage, now the fool… this day just keeps getting better and better."

"Hey, I may be a fool, but I'm also a clown, joker, goofball, and all-around lovable scamp!" Humphrey said. "It's hard being so multi-talented!"

"Um, excuse me…" Lilly was now trying desperately to get everyone's attentions. "But… I think I have a way to resolve our disagreement…"

Everybody looked to Lilly. Everybody with the exception of Kate, that is. Kate closed her eyes and began whispering to herself. "Please don't do the turtle impersonations…. Please don't do the turtle impersonations…."

"What am I?" Lilly said as she fell on her back and did her trademark 'turtle who fell and can't get back up' impression.

Kate smacked her forehead with her paw. The two Great Danes just stared at Lilly in disbelief.

"Here's a hint, it's a turtle," Humphrey said.

"Oh, we have turtles here, too!" the black Great Dane said.

Lilly stopped her impersonation and got up. Her face lit up like a child's in wonder. "You do?"

"Well, turtle soup," the Great Dane said.

"Turtle… soup?" Lilly said, her eyes filled with horror at the news that her favorite animal was a delicacy in the city. "You mean… you eat them?"

"They're mighty tasty, if I do say so myself," the dog responded, obviously enjoying tormenting the naïve Omega.

Lilly backed away quickly and quietly began to cry. Garth had now had enough. Previously, he had still been mad at Lilly for mocking him, but now when she was the one being mocked, all his instincts to protect her kicked in. He started to approach the two dogs menacingly.

Humphrey quickly jumped in front of him. "Hold on, big fella. We don't want to give them a reason to sic the humans on us."

"Humphrey's right," Kate said. "As brutish as these two are, we can't afford a confrontation with the humans. We'll just have to ignore them and find our own way to the northern train."

Kate began to reluctantly walk away, but then the second Great Dane, a young tan one, realized something. He spoke up for the first time. "Hey, weren't you in a movie or something?"

Kate looked over her shoulder in bemusement. "Um, not that I recall…"

"Yeah, I'm sure you were in a big movie a few years back!" the dog continued. "Man, I've never met somebody famous before. Could I have your pawtograph?"

Kate had no clue what the young dog was babbling about, nor did any of the other wolves. The old dog seemed to realize that he had made a huge mistake and was now at a complete loss for words. He could only smile in embarrassment; his way of apologizing for the insulting things he said.

Kate was completely surprised by this turn of events, but she decided to take advantage of this strange occurrence. She put on the best smile she could manage under the circumstances and answered, "I'd love to give you my pawtograph, but I'm afraid I've got to get up to the Northwest Territories to, uh, film my next movie and it's going to take me so long to find the train out of here…"

"Oh, that's the fifth train on the right. It leaves in about an hour," said the young dog. "Now can I have your pawtograph?"

"Um, sure," Kate said, only half believing that actually worked. The tan dog dug out a piece of scrap paper and Kate pressed her paw against it, creating an imprint.

"Now if you don't mind, me and my, uh, 'entourage' really have to be going," Kate said.

"Sure thing," the tan dog answered, "I can't wait for your next movie! Gee, wait till I tell everyone who I met!"

Kate smiled bashfully and politely excused herself, nodding for the other wolves to follow her.

"That was weird," she said to Humphrey as they arrived at the train.

"Hey, as long as it works, I'm happy," Humphrey said. "Though I think they should have asked for my pawtograph, too!"

"I don't think I like the city," Lilly said to Garth as they walked behind Humphrey and Kate. "I don't want to come here ever again."

"See, what did I tell you?" Garth said. "Cities just have danger around every turn."

Soon, they had reached the right train and barely had time to get themselves settled before the attendants came by to prepare everything for departure. As the train left the station, the two dogs looked on.

The old black dog was still completely stunned by what had just happened. "A movie star? What movie was she in, anyway?"

The young tan dog admired Kate's 'pawtograph' as he answered. "_Bolt_, I think."

The old dog shrugged. "I'll never understand the things you pups are into these days…."

* * *

**What would happen on the next leg of our heroes' journey?**

**Read on.**


	11. Midnight

**By my clock its just become January 8th as I publish this. Happy Emperor Norton Day, everyone!**

* * *

The train roared through valleys and mountain passes on its long ride northward. There was incredible beauty all around as the sunlight reflected off of golden mountain peaks and dark blue lakes. But it was all lost on Kate, our heroine. She sat there, looking out of the train, but without actually seeing anything. She was too busy thinking about the things to come.

It is easy to ignore any pangs of doubt when one has work to do, but once everything has been set in motion and there is nothing left but to await the outcome, whatever it may be, then there is innumerable time to question whether one made the right decision in the first place. And so it was with Kate that, now that she could do nothing for a time and only hope for the best, she for the first time began to seriously question the wisdom of so boldly accepting this strange challenge of the north.

Kate sighed as she realized that, no matter what she concluded, the decision had been made and all that was left was to see what came of it. She had made her choice, now the consequences were hers to accept.

Kate looked over her shoulder at the other wolves. It had been, so far, relatively peaceful and quiet in the train-car, despite the close proximity of so many fiery personalities. Kate wasn't sure – she hadn't really been paying attention – whether it was because of Humphrey's skills as a peacekeeper or simply that the opportunity for chaos hadn't presented itself.

Humphrey was busy digging through the numerous boxes included as cargo with the joy of a child opening Christmas presents. Garth and Lilly were snuggling together at one end of the train-car. At the other end were the Betas, all gathered around Edgar as he dealt cards. They were following through with Edgar's suggestion to settle the space dispute through a game – namely, blackjack.

Can-do looked down at his cards. "How do I say I want another card again?"

"In blackjack," Edgar said, "it's traditional to say 'hit me' when you want another card."

"Okay, hit me!" Can-do said, tapping his paw against the makeshift table they had made from a few crates.

Kate suddenly had reason to be distracted from her own melancholy thoughts. She jumped around, just as Humphrey, Garth, and even Lilly did the same, all shouting together. "No, Can-do, don't!"

Too late. Upon hearing Can-do's request, Edgar fulfilled it – literally. He pulled back his fist and then proceeded to strike Can-do flat in the nose, sending the stocky Beta backward.

"Edgar!" All the other Betas yelled together.

"You told him to say that, you baboon!" Claw yelled.

Edgar realized what he had done. "Oh, sorry! Reflex!"

Can-do had recovered and was not looking too happy. He started to growl fiercely. "I'll show you a reflex! You're dead!"

Can-do leapt over the table and soon had Edgar pinned to the ground. Garth and Lilly rushed to break up the situation. Garth quickly grabbed Can-do and pulled him off Edgar while Lilly helped Edgar up and signaled Claw and Scar to block Can-do from him.

Kate and Humphrey watched from a distance. "Don't you think we should help?" Kate said. "It's our duty too."

Humphrey chuckled. "Me? Get in the center of a brawl between Edgar and Can-do? I've done some crazy things, but not that crazy!"

"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Can-do shouted, trying to elbow Garth.

Garth held onto Can-do as tight as he could, despite Can-do's squirming. "Look, Can-do, I can't let go of you until you calm down! You might hurt somebody!"

"That's the point!" Can-do barked. "I'm going to break the neck of that no-good rust-colored little–"

"Ah-ah-ah, there's a lady present," Edgar interrupted, pointing to Lilly.

"And what about me?" Claw said, indignant that she did not fit Edgar's definition of a lady.

Edgar looked at Claw in confusion for a few seconds as he tried to digest what she was saying.

"Wait," he said at last. "You're a girl?"

"Take a rain check, Can-do," Claw said. "I'm going to kill him myself…"

"Claw," Lilly said, "what did I tell you and Scar about not killing Edgar?"

Claw lowered her head in disappointment. "I know, I know, but it's so hard sometimes. I'm not a saint, you know. And even if I was, I'd still want to kill him."

"I have an idea," Scar said. "Why don't we take a vote on whether we should throw him out of the train?"

Kate looked over her shoulder to see out of the car. Right now, they were speeding across a bridge built-up between two large mountains. If Edgar was thrown out, he'd have a very long way to fall.

"All in favor?" Scar said. Immediately, he, Claw, Can-do, and even Hutch raised their paws.

Kate looked beside her to see Humphrey with his paw raised. She quickly elbowed him. "Humphrey!" she quietly chided.

Whether from the force of the blow or the fear of getting on Kate's bad side again, Humphrey's paw fell back to the ground.

"Well, the ayes have it," Scar said, as he moved to grab at Edgar.

Garth quickly cut him off. "Hold it, hold it, we are not throwing Edgar off the train! As much as I'd like to, it's against pack law. _Article VII_ specifically prohibits throwing pack-members from a speeding train into a ravine more than 50 feet deep."

"I thought it prohibited throwing a pack-member from a train into a passing goat stampede," Claw said.

"That's _Article XXII_," Hutch said helpfully.

"Oh, thanks," Claw said with a smile.

Garth growled. "Look, the long and short of it is that nobody is harming Edgar as long as me and Lilly are here."

"Oh, so just because you say so, we can't do it?" Scar said. "What are we, some sort of dictatorship?"

"We… are… wolves!" Garth barked, putting a long pause between words to add emphasis. "We have packs and pack-leaders. Whatever the pack-leader says goes!"

"I don't care what anybody says!" Can-do yelled. "I'm ripping Edgar a new one and…. Hey, where is that little rat?"

Edgar had, in perhaps the first wise move of his life, scurried away during the argument. Lilly took the opportunity to sneak away as well and pointed Edgar in the direction of a particularly large box. Soon, he had gratefully concealed himself, leaving Garth and the Betas to wonder where he had gone.

Humphrey laughed. "Well, on the bright side, it took a day or two longer than I expected for everybody to be at each other's throats! Maybe there's hope for our pack yet!"

Kate shook her head and sighed. "Just watching that exhausted me. Garth looks like he's got in under control–" In fact, Garth and Lilly were now only barely managing to keep the Betas from pushing Edgar's box out the side of the car. "–so I think I'll get my forty winks in."

"But, Kate," Humphrey protested, now looking in concern as it seemed the determined Betas might actually succeed in disposing of Edgar. "I really think we need to help them now. It's time to break this up before we're all killed."

Kate yawned as she lied down. "You go ahead, you're the Omega after all. I'm just gonna close my eyes for a few seconds and then I'll be right behind you…."

As she finished speaking, her hazel eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Fire, all around her. Kate was completely surrounded. She had to get out, she had to get off this mountain. But there was no way out. Fire had sealed off all the exits and left her with only one way down – and it was a long way down. There was no escape.

"Look what you did!" she heard a voice shout. She looked to see a large golden wolf approaching her. She could not see, in the darkness of the cave, his face but she could still feel the hatred of his eyes boring into her. "You think you can get away with doing this to me again? Oh no, I'm taking you down with me!"

Kate knew she would die here, but she still had her fighting spirit. Better to go out fighting than to die a coward… even if there was nobody left who would ever know. So, preparing herself, she leapt into the air and pounced on her foe, knocking him to the ground.

But as he fell back, something strange happened. He suddenly began to shrink to about half of his size and his fur quickly lightened until it was the purest hue of white. When Kate looked down, she saw a pair of lavender eyes meeting hers.

"Why didn't you save me, Kate?" Lilly said. "Didn't you love me enough?"

"Lilly, I tried, I really tried!" Kate said as she burst out into tears.

"Liar!" Lilly yelled as suddenly she threw Kate off of her and to the ground. Kate quickly bounced back to her feet and looked around. Everything was fire now – there was no cave left at all, just a realm of rising flames.

"Lilly!" Kate said. "I couldn't save you! I… gave everything I had… but it wasn't enough…."

"Liar!" Lilly shouted again, her lavender eyes burning with worse hatred than the mysterious golden wolf's had. "You killed me! You killed me just like you killed… our sister!"

Kate took a step back. "You… you know what happened?"

Lilly laughed evilly. "Of course I know, you twit! You think you could just ruin my life without me finding out about it? You killed Melanie and you killed me!"

Tears burned Kate's face more than the circling flames ever could. "Lilly, I'm so sorry! I never meant for any of this to happen to you!"

"Too late to go back now!" Lilly said. And then, to Kate's surprise, her sister leapt for her.

But as Kate braced herself for the impact, her sister came down in front of her. But it wasn't Lilly now; it was the other sister.

And now they were at that same accursed tree-bridge spanning the cliffs. And at the center of the bridge was Melanie. Kate could tell it was her; after all these years, she could still picture Melanie clearly. Whereas Kate had inherited their mother's color scheme, Melanie had taken after their father and had a similar black, grey, and white coat along with large blue eyes.

And now replayed the memory that Kate had already replayed countless times before in her head.

"I'm gonna beat your record, Kate!" Melanie called playfully as she ran across the large and narrow tree-trunk. "Then I'll be the greatest Alpha ever!"

"Not on my watch!" Kate playfully called back. She knew Melanie was right. While she loved her sister, the two had always had a rivalry about who was the greater Alpha. So Kate couldn't let Melanie beat her just like that.

Kate grabbed at the trunk and began to shake and roll it slightly, hoping to keep Melanie off balance for a second or two. That way, she would come in just a second or two later than Kate had. It seemed to work perfectly, as Melanie was smart enough to stop and dig in her claws while Kate had her fun.

Then Kate let go of the log and turned to run away, certain that Melanie would want to cream her once she got to the other side. "Ain't gonna catch me, sis!" Kate yelled back as she sped into the distance, sure that Melanie was already right behind her.

"Kate!" she heard Melanie yell. She immediately knew that something was wrong. There was panic in her sister's voice.

Kate darted around. Her eyes widened in terror as she saw that the log was still rotating. It must not have stopped when Kate let go; she must have put more force than she intended into it. Melanie was desperately racing to reach the other side but Kate knew that even with her speed, she wouldn't make it in time.

So Kate leapt into action. "Don't worry, Melanie, I'll save you!"

She ricocheted off one of the cliff walls and went flying toward her sister, coming down at the edge of the cliff and reaching out to Melanie. Melanie reached out to grab Kate's paw but just as she was about to take it, the log turned around completely. Kate grasped for her but it was too late.

"Kaaaaatttttteeeeeee!" Melanie yelled out as she disappeared from her sister's sight for the final time.

Kate could only stand there frozen with tears in her eyes. But before she could cry too much, the scene suddenly changed again. She was in her parents' den. Winston and Eve were standing over her, eager to know why only one daughter had come back and not two.

"Melanie's not coming back," Kate said sorrowfully. "She's… she's… it was an accident. By the tree-bridge. We were playing and… and…. She fell."

Chunks of rock flew around their heads as Eve began to tear up the den floor. Kate knew her parents had gotten the message.

Eve let out a scream louder and more terrifying than that of any creature yet known to modern science. She leapt away from her mate and daughter and began to pound one of the den's walls, creating a new entry-way in no time. Winston knew that he had to take charge of the situation, despite inwardly feeling just as bad as Eve.

Knowing how hard it must have been for Kate to witness, he tried to put this as gently as he could. "Kate, sweetie, you and Melanie knew better than to play over there, didn't you? Then what could have caused her to… well… what happened?"

Eve took a break from demolishing the den to come over by Winston and await her daughter's response. Kate had never seen her mother in such a fury before. Even though Eve was now trying to give a comforting and reassuring look to make things easier on Kate, Kate could still see the anger in her eyes over what fate had done to her daughter. And knowing her mother like she did, Kate felt sorry for fate.

"Well, I know we shouldn't have… but we were playing and… I tried to save her, mom, I really did! But, it was too late…. If we hadn't been playing she wouldn't have gotten knocked off…."

"Knocked off?" Eve said, her claws digging into the floor of the den. "What as-good-as dead wolf carcass dared to knock of my baby?"

"Eve, dear, please," Winston said, realizing better than she did what was going on. However, an evil growl from Eve quickly silenced him.

Kate knew she had put things the wrong way. By saying that Melanie had been knocked off the bridge while they were playing, Kate had clued in her parents that someone had caused her death. And Kate definitely did not want to be that someone. Even if Eve was her own mother, she didn't know if that would mean anything now that she had her sister's blood on her hands.

Kate quickly looked around for something to get her out of this one. Then she looked past her parents to the edge of the den. There sat her baby sister, Lilly, blissfully trying to catch a butterfly hovering over her head. Kate and Melanie were supposed to take their sister out to play with them but, both annoyed to be stuck with a wolf months younger than them who was not able to play like wolves their age yet, Kate and Melanie had ditched her and gone to have some real fun at the bridge. But Kate realized that, since Lilly had found her own way home, her parents had no idea that she wasn't with them.

"It was… it was Lilly," Kate lied. "Lilly did it."

Eve quickly turned her head and Kate saw a fire leap into her mother's eyes as she gazed at Lilly. Kate had never seen such an intense look of hatred as that which flared up in Eve's eyes as she gazed at her youngest daughter.

"They were right; we should have left her to die in the woods when she was born!" Eve said darkly. "A white-furred wolf is a curse on the whole pack!"

Kate immediately grasped the danger she had just put Lilly in. "No, mom, it was an accident! Lilly didn't mean to do it! Honest!"

This seemed to cause Eve to relax slightly. Winston shook his head in dismay. "Okay, we'll deal with it, honey."

Kate felt herself beginning to cry again. Winston immediately reached out his paw and touched her shoulder. Despite everything, he knew that she needed comforting and Eve was in no shape right now to do it.

"Kate," he said, "I want you to know that, even with what happened, I'm very proud of how you handled the situation. I know it couldn't have been easy for you to tell us what Lilly did, but you told us the truth anyway. This confirms what I've always known, you'll be the greatest Alpha of all of us someday."

Kate looked away in shame, Winston's praise somehow seeming to hurt her more than Eve's worst fury ever could. "B-b-b-but what about Lilly?" she said at last.

Winston sighed. "I'm afraid that she'll never be an Alpha now. You know it's against pack law for any wolf who has killed a member of the head family to ever hold the rank of Alpha… even if she didn't mean it."

"You mean… she'll be an Omega all her life?" Kate said in shock. She had not been thinking about what blaming Lilly would actually mean. Every single member of their family had been an Alpha since time immemorial. It would be an incredible disgrace for any one of them not to be – and it was doubly disgraceful given that Lilly would forever be blamed for killing Melanie.

It looked like what the pack elders had said about Lilly's birth was coming true. She was destined to be a bad omen – and it wasn't even her own fault.

Kate felt like she had to tell her parents the truth but just as she was about to speak up, the scene changed again. Now she was once again on that burning mountainside. She was now laying on the ground, pain coursing through her body. The flames were all around and she knew that there was no escape. Suddenly, she saw that same golden star – or was it the sun? – in a field of blue. Eight long rays spread out from it and around these rays danced smaller silver stars. As Kate marveled at this, she felt herself begin to pass out. But just as she closed her eyes, she heard a voice. "Quickly and soon! It all comes to an end quickly and soon!"

* * *

Kate jumped up and looked around her in panic. At first she did not know where she was. Suddenly, everything came back to her. She was still in the train-car. It was night, and all the other wolves had retired to bed. Scar and Can-do were sleeping in opposite corners, Hutch and Claw forming a barrier at about equal distance between them. Kate found Humphrey laying close by her on top of a pile of wrapping paper he had unearthed. He held a small gumball machine beside him, cuddling it like a teddy bear. Garth lay at one end of the car beside a large stack of boxes. Kate looked to a tall box at the top of the stack. Over the side of it hung a fluffy white tail, swaying back and forth. Kate could just make out two little ears peaking over the top of the box. Lilly was not only still alive, but had clearly made herself quite comfortable.

Kate shook her head. "Another dream," she said. "That's all. Just something caused by all the stress. Yeah, that's all it was."

But she couldn't shake it from her mind no matter how she tried. It was stuck with her. Especially the part with Lilly. Kate feared to think about whether that part was truly prophetic.

"That settles it," she said, "she can never know now."

Kate looked around. She had meant to only sleep for a few minutes, but it looked like she had slept the rest of the day and late into the night. In fact it was about midnight if she could trust her internal reckoning. And Kate always trusted her own reckoning.

Kate sat down, wondering what she was going to do now that she was wide awake and everyone else was fast asleep. She didn't know. She could barely even see, given that there was absolutely no moonshine. She would just have to be alone with her thoughts. Her haunting, frightful thoughts.

And then she saw a light. It was a small light hovering by the open car-door. Kate, half confused, wended toward it. As she got close enough, she saw what it was.

"Edgar?" she asked in surprise.

Edgar was sitting at the edge of the doorway, looking out into the blackness. In one hand he held a dark bottle of some sort while in the other paw he held something small that was lighted on the end. That was the light Kate had seen. Edgar had been quietly humming to himself but now fell silent as he quickly turned his head to face his superior.

"Miss Kate!" he said. "What are you doing up? I was sure you'd sleep until tomorrow afternoon! In fact, I bet Claw that you wouldn't be up until at least one p.m."

Kate sat down and smiled. She was glad to have someone to talk to, even if it was Edgar. "Edgar, when are you ever going to learn? You're just digging yourself in deeper with that gambling of yours."

"It's not like that, really!" Edgar said. "I got something in the works which'll get me back all my money and then some. You see, I took a lot of bets from the pack before we left Jasper over who's going to be the first one to get killed up north. Most people are betting it'll be Lilly, so I went and bet it would be me. So all I have to do is get myself killed and then I'll be swimming in the wealth!"

Kate cringed at being reminded of Lilly's possible death, but luckily Edgar had already given her a chance to change the subject. "Um, Edgar, you know that if you get killed, you won't be able to use any of it, right?"

Edgar just looked at her like she was speaking another language.

Kate chuckled, embarrassed that she had to point this out. "Because, you know, you'd be dead."

Edgar's eyes darted in a sort of panic as the realization hit him that Kate was right. "Yes, well…. That's another pound of caribou meat I'll never see. Thanks for ruining my plans, Miss Kate."

Kate guffawed. "Me? Ruin your plans? Edgar, you have a problem. You're in debt up to your pointy ears and you just don't know when to stop!"

Edgar shook his head and then leaned back. He seemed to relax a bit and then spoke in a sort of folksy manner. "I don't have a problem. I'm a gambler, Miss Kate, that's how I choose to live my life. It's a hard life, to be sure, but it's also a life of honor, of dignity, of brotherhood between the men who bet everything on the turn of the cards. We may be a little rough and tumble and we may not conform to your standards for proper gentlemen, but we always do right by one another. And that's one bet you can always take."

By way of answer, Kate gave Edgar an 'oh really?' look. "How much honor or dignity is there in constantly being on the run from Sweets and Candy?"

Edgar shook his head and smiled. "I wouldn't expect an innocent girl like you to understand my lifestyle, Miss Kate. You've never known what it's like to go rambling from town to town, staying in cheap motels, looking for the high-stakes card games hidden in the back room of the local bar, never knowing if you're going to have enough money to send back to the wife and kids to get them through another dry season. Why, I was just telling Stretch Jackson at the Reno Poker Classic that–"

"Edgar," Kate said, slowly but firmly. "You don't know what it's like to do any of those things either. You've never been to Reno. You've never even been out of Jasper before."

Edgar pouted at his monologue being so easily dismantled. "Yeah, well, the point still stands!"

"You didn't even make a point!" Kate shot back. "And that better not be a cigarette you're holding."

Edgar looked at the burning thing in his paw. "No, I couldn't find any cigarettes so I just rolled up this scrap of paper and lit it on fire. I figured that's close enough."

Just then, the fire managed to burn down enough to reach his paw. Edgar yelped in pain and tossed the burning piece of paper away. It floated out of the train and into the darkness.

"If that starts a forest fire, I'm going to kill you," Kate remarked.

Edgar just waved his paw in a 'whatever' motion and took a swig from his bottle.

"And what is that?" Kate said. "Is that alcohol?"

"It's a French wine of some sort. Auntee Frayzay."

Kate immediately grabbed the bottle away from Edgar. She brought it close to her eyes so that she could read the label despite the darkness. "Edgar," she said at once, "this isn't a French wine, this is antifreeze!"

Edgar pulled back the bottle. "Whatever it is, it sure is good. I think I'm getting drunk. I already feel light-headed."

"Antifreeze is toxic!" Kate said, jerking the bottle away and throwing it out the side of the car.

"Now who's starting forest fires?" Edgar said contemptuously.

Kate shook her head. "Humphrey should have let them throw you out of the train today. How did he stop it anyway?"

"Some lame joke about a porcupine and a typewriter. I don't know, it was too lame to remember. But Miss Claw wouldn't have thrown me out. Did you know she's a girl?"

Kate sighed. "Of course I know that. I tend to be rather good at noticing things like that."

But Edgar was lost in another tangent. "You know, before – when I thought Miss Claw was a guy – I was always figured she was always beating me up and trying to kill me because she didn't like me for some reason. But now that I know she's a girl, I realize that it's all because she's madly in love with me, the poor thing."

Kate's eyes widened in disbelief. Even Edgar couldn't be that thick, could he?

Edgar continued. "You see, I've always had that effect on females. They just can't stay away from me. I know, Miss Kate, that it must take all of your self-control and determination not to confess your undying love and devotion to me whenever we meet."

Kate's jaw dropped. She suddenly felt the urge to tear Edgar's throat out and dump the body out of the train-car. Was this how her mother felt all the time?

Once Kate had collected herself, she answered sarcastically. "Oh yeah. It's nearly impossible for me to resist. I don't know how I manage to get through the day." She then rolled her eyes and shook her head, trying to annihilate that mental picture from existence.

But Edgar did not grasp the sarcasm in her words. "And if you weren't an evil Western demon I might consider it. But as it is, I don't have relationships with foreign devils."

The two now fell into silence, Kate not knowing what to say to get the conversation out of this uncomfortable topic. Then Edgar began speaking again. "Hmm, a dark night, a train speeding off to who knows where, you, me, alone and just sitting here. Doesn't it remind you of anything?"

Kate shook her head. "No, what?"

To her horror, Edgar now began to sing. "On a warm summer's evening, on a train bound for nowhere, I met up with a gambler, we were both too tired to sleep. So we took turns a-starin' out the window at the darkness, 'til boredom overtook us and he began to speak–"*****

"If this song ends with us making out, I'm going to throw you out of this train myself!" Kate barked in alarm and anger.

Edgar was confused. "No, I don't think that's how the song goes, but it would make an interesting twist…."

Kate smiled in embarrassment. Obviously, that evil mental image was still stuck in her brain. How was she ever going to cleanse it now?

But before the scene could get any more awkward, the two heard a little sneeze from above them. And they both jumped as a small box landed right beside them. Kate calmed down as Lilly tumbled out of the box, sniffling.

"I think this train is bad for my sinuses," Lilly said sleepily. "Too much dust."

As she picked herself up, she realized that Kate was standing in front of her. "What are you doing up so late, sis?"

Suddenly Kate was having another unpleasant thought, a flashback to the dream she had had, specifically the part about Lilly getting killed. It seemed she could not win for losing. She tried to shake it out of her head. "I couldn't sleep. I had a nightmare."

Lilly smiled. "Oh, was it about when mom killed Bigfoot? I have nightmares about that all the time!"

"I have nightmares about that all the time," Edgar said behind her, "and I wasn't even there!"

Kate chuckled at the strange innocence of what her sister had just said. "No, Lilly, it wasn't about that. It was about… yeah."

But now Lilly had remembered something else. "Oh, that's right, there was something you wanted to tell me. It was about… you know."

"Oh, Miss Lilly means when she brutally dismembered your sister and fed the parts to the vegetarians!" Edgar said from behind them.

Tears welled up in Lilly's eyes and Kate quickly made a fist at Edgar, who took the hint and scurried away. Kate hugged Lilly and tried to calm her down.

"It's alright, Lilly, it wasn't your fault, it really wasn't," Kate said, hoping it would get Lilly to stop crying. "It was all…."

Lilly looked up at Kate, curiosity, surprise, even amazement showing in her tear-filled eyes. "It was all what?"

Then Kate remembered what she had just vowed to herself. She shook her head quickly. "Nothing. It was nothing. Forget that I ever brought anything up. It's nothing."

She got up and walked away swiftly, trying to keep her own face hidden from Lilly. Lilly watched her go. "Oh, okay…." the white wolf said quietly.

After she was certain Kate was out of earshot, she added. "I just wish you trusted me enough to tell me about whatever you're trying to hide…."

* * *

***Kenny Rogers' classic, "The Gambler." I have it on good authority that this is the most popular karaoke song in the world, for whatever that's worth. **

* * *

**What has Kate gotten herself into?**

**Read on.**


	12. Meanwhile

A bunker somewhere in upstate New York. Alarms blare as various military personnel scramble to reach their desks. There is excitement in the air and even, for these stalwart defenders of the American nation and people, a strange sense of fear.

Down the corridors, approaching the central command station, strides the mighty and imposing figure of General Augustus Blaine, a large and proud man, though one aged prematurely by the myriad cares that come with being one of the nation's top military leaders. If the current crisis fazes him, he does not show it. He is calm and shows no trace of emotion in his dignified visage. Who can say what thoughts race through the mind of such a man?

A senior officer, the commander of this station, offers a quick salute before taking his place as the General's side.

But Blaine is not a man for small talk. "Why wasn't I told about this earlier?" he says immediately.

"The CIA has only just captured visual confirmation," the officer responded, eager to shift the blame off of himself.

"The CIA – nothing but a bunch of pansies. Can't do a single thing right," the indomitable Blaine replies. "How many times did they try to kill Castro and never succeeded?"

The officer does not know how to respond. "Yes, sir…. But you'll find everything in order. We've got the whole Eastern seaboard on red-alert."

"At least something's been done right," the hero answers. "And we're gonna need it. Mark my words."

At this moment, another figure appears from a side-office. In his hand is a telephone. "General," he says, "it's the President. He wants to be apprised of the situation immediately."

Blaine nods. The look in his eyes is one of tenseness, seriousness, but also of resolve. He answers, "Tell the President to have the drones ready for immediate deployment. And tell him that we can't take the nuclear option off the table."

As the man disappears back into his office, Blaine keeps walking. He notices that the officer beside him seems concerned about his orders. "We are in dire straits," Blaine answers skillfully. "This isn't some operation on another continent. The homeland's under attack this time."

But the officer seems to have something else on his mind. "I just want you to know, sir," he says at last, "that it's a real honor to be serving under the commander of the Egyptian Expedition. Your victory at the Seventh Cataract shall go down as one of the crowning achievements of military history."

Blaine does not seem pleased by the compliment. If anything, it seems to disturb him. Be that as it may, all he says is, "I doubt very much, officer, that that presented any challenge like the sort we're facing now."

The officer, hearing such words, is troubled. "What is it, sir? Terrorists, militias, aliens?"

Just as he reaches the command center, Blaine pauses long enough to look his new subordinate in the eyes and smile slightly at the man's naïveté. He answers, "Oh no, officer. It's something much, much worse."

The great man wastes no time as he enters the command center. He immediately strides forth and takes up position to address the many soldiers currently working furiously at their posts. All cease and await his words.

"I do not think I need to impress upon anyone here the need to fulfill their duties," he says, speaking slowly and with purpose, "but I do feel the need to impress upon you the magnitude of the threat we are up against today. You have all served during trying times and against all odds, but I must regretfully inform you that all the enemies and the hardships you have endured have not adequately prepared you for that which we must today grapple with. For I do not believe that I am exaggerating in the slightest when I say that, today, the very freedom and liberty we love so dearly – the very life of the American nation itself – stands in danger of being annihilated. We have been called together as the last defenders of freedom to complete an impossible task, but complete it we must, if we want anything of our way of life to see another sunrise. Failure is not an option – if we fail, the United States shall be no more. We must either triumph or – if that be impossible – die fighting for the ideals our fathers have so long fought to advance, for this is surely our nation's darkest hour."

As soon as the General has finished, one shouts, "We got a lock on it!" Immediately a giant monitor behind Blaine blares into life. And pictured there, standing just across the Canadian border, is a stocky golden-brown she-wolf.

**(Author's Note: Thought you were in the wrong story, didn't you?)**

Eve was busy sitting on the sidelines with Paddy as Marcel, Winston, and Tony were busy playing a round of golf.

"Um, not to sound critical, mum," Paddy remarked to Eve, "but isn't it rather tiresome for you to sit here on the sidelines. Wouldn't you rather be playing the game?"

Eve smiled sweetly. "Nonsense! Golf isn't really my game; too stressful. But I'm happy enough being the referee and ensuring that nobody cheats!"

Just then, an argument was breaking out between Marcel and Tony. Tony was trying to take a swing and Marcel was bitterly trying to hold back his putter.

"You cannot take a second swing!" Marcel complained. "That is not in the rules!"

"I'm not taking a second swing!" Tony barked back. "It's a do-over. My first one barely touched the ball, so it doesn't count!"

"We don't do do-overs in this game!" Marcel yelled. "Except when I need to do one, of course."

But Tony wasn't listening. With a mighty swing, he ripped the club away from Marcel and made contact with the ball, sending it flying. It flew right into Eve's waiting open paw. She quickly crushed it.

"Now, Tony, listen to the fowl," Eve said, "or I'll take that club of yours and start whacking your stomach with it until the club tears through your flesh, shatters your spine, and then bursts out of your back."

Tony quickly dropped his putter and put Winston between himself and Eve. "Okay, okay, no do-overs," Tony remarked quietly.

Eve turned back to Paddy and smiled. "I'm a natural peacekeeper, you see."

Paddy smiled nervously. He quickly decided to change the subject. "We stopped by Jasper the other day to drop in your postcard and update everyone."

Eve grinned at the thought of her daughters. "And how are Kate and Lilly doing on their own? I was so worried about leaving them; they're still just pups, you know. I've never left them by themselves for so long before."

"Ah, well, yes," Paddy said, "Kate was too busy to see us – so many responsibilities. But Lilly seemed fine. She was happy to get your postcard and was looking forward to telling her sister about it. She was just a bit worried that she wouldn't have time, what with all the preparing their doing to go up nor–"

While Marcel had only been half-listening to Paddy, as was his custom, at the mention of the Jasper Pack's preparations, his face filled with terror. Using all his force, he swung his club at his ball and knocked it straight into Paddy's beak. The force knocked Paddy over and sent the ball ricocheting and careening over the Canadian-American border.

"Oh, Paddy, I'm so sorry," Marcel said with false innocence as he came over to his friend. "Champion golfers like _moi_ can be so clumsy at times."

Paddy slowly got up. "I'm quite alright, sir. Just a bit winded, since I was in the middle of saying how Kate and Lilly and Humphrey are going up–"

Paddy promptly fell back down to the ground after receiving an incredible blow to the head from Marcel's club.

Marcel smiled innocently. "Oh, I can be so absent-minded! I forgot to have everyone stand a foot or so away before I took my swing!"

"But there's not even a ball!" Tony said grumpily, still mad at the goose for their earlier disagreement.

"What did I tell you? Absent-minded!" Marcel said with an embarrassed grin.

"Are you feeling quite alright, sir?" Paddy said as he once again got himself off the ground. "You're not acting like your usual self."

Marcel quickly grabbed Paddy and began to take off. "I'm fine, Paddy, I'm fine. Now let's just go get that ball and get back to the game."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Eve said. "I'll get it."

General Blaine watches closely as the golden-brown wolf approaches the American border. His face is calm and unmoved, but his eyes perhaps reveal just a flicker of concern and anguish.

"Eve is on the move," he says stoutly.

"Eve?" asks his subordinate.

"It's our codename for the monster at the Pentagon," the hero explains. "It stands for Exceptionally Violent Exterminator."

The officer quickly sulks backward, not liking the sound of what he had just heard.

"What do we do now, sir?" he asks warily.

"There is only one thing we can do," the great man says. "Launch the drones!"

Marcel could not hide the horror on his face at Eve's suggestion. "No, no, that's quite alright. Paddy and I will be happy to retrieve it, won't we, Paddy?"

"Actually, I'm still feeling a bit light-headed," Paddy answered. "I wouldn't mind staying here while–"

"Come on, Paddy!" Marcel said as he pulled Paddy into the air. The yellow duck was still reluctant but, since he was already flying, he decided to accompany his friend.

From their vantage point high above the ground, Marcel and Paddy surveyed the surrounding area until they scoped out a little round rock that looked like it could be their ball.

"Do you think this is it, sir?" Paddy said as the two of them landed.

"Who cares?" Marcel said. "I could just get a new ball, anyway."

Paddy was confused. "I don't mean to sound critical, sir, but then why did we come out here in the first place?"

Marcel now let all the anger and frustration he had been bottling up inside become visible. "Because, you were about to turn us into fried fowl by telling Eve all about her daughters going up north to the Yukon!"

"But, shouldn't we tell her, sir?" Paddy asked. "I mean, if it had been your daughters, wouldn't you want to know?"

Marcel shook his head. "But they are not my daughters, they are Eve's daughters. And remember what Lilly said about how her mother would react. Just look at what she just threatened to do to Tony! I, for one, am not getting on her bad side. I am, in fact, so much against it, that I just committed the atrocity of ruining my perfect score for this game so that I could keep it from happening. In short, _mon ami_, this is a matter of life and death. "

Paddy considered this thoroughly. When he was ready to respond, he answered, "Hm, I see your point. It's well taken. Maybe we should hold off telling Eve."

"My thoughts exactly," Marcel said in that smug and superior tone he used when he thought he had won an argument. "Now let's get back there before they start wondering what has become of us. We never want to keep large carnivores waiting, after all!"

Marcel grabbed at the small rock and took off into the air. Paddy quickly followed him. Eve was just preparing to make her way across the border when she saw Marcel and Paddy fly back into view. She relaxed at the sight and walked back over to Winston and Tony.

General Blaine watches all this upon the monitor, having not moved an inch. Nor have any of the staff, for they know the precarious position they are now in. And then, suddenly, shattering through the tension, a general sigh of relief fills the room as the fierce creature turns back toward the Canadian side of the border. Blaine raises his hand to signal for quiet.

"Cancel the drone strike," he says to his subordinate. "For now."

* * *

Jasper Park, Alberta. A serene summer day. In the valley, green and golden grass gleam in the sunlight while verdant foliage stretches out all around. High above, the glorious snow-peaks seem to reflect the sun itself, bouncing its image off one-another like great reflecting mirrors raised far beyond the subcelestial realm.

Shakey could not enjoy any of this. Currently, he was cowering on the ground. "Please, please don't hurt me!" he shouted in fear and panic. "I didn't mean to miss my payments, honest! It's just, do you know how much time and effort goes into building a rocket?"

Sweets smiled sweetly. As Shakey peaked out from under his paws, he felt calmed by the warmth of her face. He began to relax. And then she nodded to Candy, who produced her club from behind her back and began approaching Shakey, filled with malice. He quickly covered his eyes again, awaiting with terror the promised shattering of his collarbone.

"Halt!" shouted a powerful voice from above. Sweets, Candy, and Shakey all immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up. There above them stood an old white wolf atop a large boulder.

"Where did he come from?" Candy moaned.

"Shhh!" was Sweets' response.

"But he just, like, appeared out of nowhere!" Candy was beginning hyperventilate.

Sweets, the more rational of the two, responded to her anxiety attack with all the warmth and compassion you might expect, telling her simply to "Shut up!"

"We will not have any violence of this sort in this valley!" Ambrose decreed.

"What sort of violence would you prefer, then?" Sweets answered smartly.

Ambrose did not speak. He let the giant lightningbolt that suddenly shot from the clear blue sky and struck a nearby tree do the talking for him.

Candy leapt off her feet and onto Sweets, knocking them both down.

"Now, if I catch either of you doing any more of this loan-sharking – a wretched term – I shall not be so kind next time," Ambrose said darkly. "Do you understand?"

Sweets and Candy nodded vigorously and then, as fast as possible, scurried away, not once looking back.

Shakey got to his small feet. "Wow, uh, thanks! I never thought that, when Humphrey and Kate left some old wolf in charge, that he'd ever be able to keep up with things around here."

Ambrose cast him a ferocious look. Shakey immediately jumped back. "But I'm happy to be proved wrong! Really!"

Ambrose sighed and shook his head. "Pups these days. Never thinking before they speak. In my day, that could lose you your tongue."

Shakey shivered. "Hey now, no need to go there! I-I-I didn't meant any offense, sir."

"No, I suppose not," Ambrose said quietly.

Shakey fidgeted uncomfortably. He was eager to change the subject. "So… I guess this means there will be no more gambling in Jasper?"

Ambrose shook his head. "Oh, there shall be gambling in Jasper. I won't put a stop to that. It's not my place, nor is it the right time."

"But I thought that was why Kate left you in charge in the first place," Shakey said.

Ambrose smiled at the young wolf's confusion. "That's true, but what Kate didn't realize is that she's the only one who can stop this epidemic of debauchery. If it hasn't stopped now, that's because she still hasn't figured out what she needs to learn."

"But… she's up north…. How could she stop it when she's not here?"

"Hermes, what dotards you have left me with!" Ambrose muttered under his breath.

Then he turned to Shakey, hoping to explain. "In this world, all things are interconnected, perhaps nothing more so than a leader and the people. When one is strong, the other is strong. When one is ill, the other is ill. Kate's pride has not only infected her soul, it has infected the souls of the entire pack. And only when it is cured in her soul can the pack itself be cured."

Ambrose fell silent for a second. Shakey, not knowing what to say and overall more interested in coming up with a new design for his rocket, was not particularly interested in continuing this conversation.

But then Ambrose spoke again. "And for her sake, I pray that she figures it out soon. I have had a vision and I know that when she arrives in the Yukon, a great darkness is already waiting for her. The most evil, vile darkness this pack has ever known. It's going to take all of strength, and that of all her companions, for them to be able to survive the coming storm."

* * *

**What is "the coming storm" which Ambrose has foreseen?**

**Read on.**


	13. Darkness

The Yukon. The golden enemy sat upon his large rock, with his guards flanked all around him. Before him, Justin was bowing low. He had come to give his report.

"Is everything in order for Kate's 'visit'?" said the golden one.

"Yes, sire," Justin said as he picked himself up off the floor. "Ready and most ready. I have personally looked into everything myself, just as your infinite wisdom specified."

The adversary burst into laughter. "Ha ha! Excellent, excellent! Kate should be arriving here within the month, and then I shall have her at last. Now there is nothing to keep me from my long-awaited triumph."

"There is just one thing," Justin said hesitantly. "The Saint-Marc, Saint-Simon, and Cambaluc packs are all still in open rebellion."

"What? We haven't crushed them yet?" the gold one hollered. "It is the work of that accursed shaman, I just know it!"

After he had calmed down for a moment, he added, "But no matter, they shall prove no threat to us. Not as long as I destroy Kate utterly. And to achieve that, I have decided to acquire a little extra assistance."

"Extra assistance? What do you mean?" Justin asked. And then he felt a cold chill tumble through the cavern. He looked toward the entryway to see another wolf standing there.

Justin shuttered as he immediately recognized the figure of a witch, a witch of the dark caverns.

Of all the lupine witches of Canada – and there are a great many number – the witches of the Yukon are the most feared for their mastery of the dark arts and the lengths to which they will go to achieve unholy power. Oftentimes, they are the first scavengers when a clash between rival wolf-packs has left a field of dead. If they perchance can find no remains of battle, they do not fear to venture into burial grounds and there loot the corpses of the newly buried while their families are still mourning. And if any wolf die alone in that land, no sooner has the spirit left then the dark witches appear over the corpse to carry out their grim work. Sometimes, they do so even before the soul has departed the body, and such victims are considered the most useful in their evil rituals.

When they find a body that suits their dark purposes, you can be sure that there shall be nothing left of it, for they tear it all apart to collect the organs and bones they need for their works and incantations. For there is no evil spell unknown to them, no dark poison which they cannot create through these means. And sometimes they preserve the bodies whole, that they may later enchant them with false life. Thence, having dragged a soul back into the mortal realm from its repose in another, they force it to reveal all manner of things which occur in this world and in others beyond. By acts such as these, they know most of what occurs under the sun and moon and many things besides.

Wretched are they, most vicious and cruel. They have no pity for their victims, no pity or love even for each other. All that binds them together is their mutual thirst for power. There are no depths to which they will not plunge to achieve their ends, nothing which disgusts them, no one whom they fear to kill. They lurk in dark caves and upon deserted paths, in dead forests and forgotten burial grounds. Anywhere that a wolf may venture alone and become lost, there are they! Woe be to any wolf traveling alone in the Yukon, for he or she is always under the witches' evil glare!

Of the witches of the Yukon, the most fearsome and wicked was Mallt. She alone was absolutely unquenchable in her thirst for power. It was she alone who happily performed the most sinister rites and noxious rituals, she alone who gleefully carried out the most vile desecrations, which even her sister-witches could not bring themselves to do. The blackest deeds, the foulest curses, and the most toxic poisons which the other witches left alone, for they knew to fear them, Mallt had undertaken with fervor. She was the only creature that the other witches feared as death.

And now here she stood, her fur greyed by countless years and her eyes seemingly blind after a lifetime wasted in darkness. Her body was shriveled and bent out of sorts by countless nights in unnatural positions, carrying out unnatural work. Her teeth had seemed to have gone to waste as well, but what remained – her largest fangs – were sharp as any dagger ever forged. The same can be said for her claws, which twisted and curved around her paws, creating all sorts of grotesque shapes and forms.

"Who is the one… who dares summon the witch of the dark caverns?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper yet somehow managing to convey all the terror and evil at her command.

The leader looked around. All of his guards and even Justin, all great and powerful warriors, were shrinking back from this creature. He sneered.

"It is customary to kneel before your sovereign, hag!" he barked to the newcomer.

He was met only by a laugh; a long, shrill, vicious laugh.

He turned to the largest and fiercest of his guards. With his diamond-tipped rod, he nudged the wolf and silently signaled for him to carry out the work of forcing this impertinent creature to her knees.

The large wolf shuttered at the suggestion and would not do it. But the leader gave him a look of rage, rage at being disobeyed. And the wolf realized that, given the choice between the two evils, upsetting his master might be the larger mistake.

So he cautiously stepped forward and approached the witch. He felt himself gaining courage as the witch continued to stare straight ahead. Her blind eyes could not see him at all, he thought. It might be a simple matter after all to grab her and force her down.

But just as he jumped for her, her paw flew off the floor and closed around his throat, halting him in mid-air. And then, as mere seconds past, all the life and soul drained out of him, leaving nothing but a withered corpse behind.

"Foolish," the old witch muttered as she dropped the corpse to the ground. Upon contact with the floor of the cavern, it crumbled completely and nothing but dust remained.

In light of this display, the gold one decided to dispense with the customary formalities. "You are probably wondering why I called you here, hag," he began.

This incited another vicious laugh from the witch. "I already know, for there is nothing hidden to me. I know that you are expecting visitors – enemies of yours. You have devised a contest between yourself and them, the result being death. And you would like me to ensure that they have no hope of surviving."

The golden wolf was stunned by this revelation. He nodded slowly. "Yes… yes… that is what I want. But only if it comes to the point where there is no other way. I want to destroy Kate and her Alphas with my own forces. But if they somehow manage to escape my challenges, I want you to come in and ensure they don't leave this valley with their lives. Understood?"

Mallt, the blind witch (or so it seemed) now turned her gaze to look directly at him. Her white eyes seemed to dig into his soul, searching out all of his secret sins and plotting how to use them against him.

"Why should I help you?" she said. "What would I gain by this? What reward do you offer?"

"My reward is that you get to keep your life," the leader responded haughtily.

"Ha ha ha!" burst out the sorceress, in a laugh most foul and more terrifying than any sound these wolves had heard in their lives. "You offer me my life? Do you not realize that, if I so chose, I could take yours without lifting a paw? You are a right fool!"

Now even the leader seemed in danger of falling off his rock, so far back did he lurch.

"Fortunately for you, I do not seek your destruction," Mallt continued. "You have been very good for my craft. All the death and destruction you have brought to the Yukon has provided me and my sisters with more corpses than was ever known in our long lifetimes. For this and another reason, it behooves me to grant your request."

"Another reason?" the leader said, working up his courage.

Mallt did not break her unchanging gaze from him even for an instant. "Yes, another reason. I know the enemies of whom you speak. The Jasper Wolfpack! How I loathe them!"

"You loathe them? What did they ever do to you, hag?"

"To me personally, nothing. But what they have done is this. They are the first pack to be formed by the marriage of an Alpha and an Omega. They have managed to achieve peace and justice in a valley that seemed on the verge of bloodshed and war. Because of this, they have become an example to the other packs of Canada, a symbol of everything great and glorious which wolf-kind could someday become. And if the other packs start to emulate them and follow their example, there shall be no more carnage, no more wars, but only peace.

"In a world such as that, what would be the place for me and my sisters? In a world of peace, where shall we gain our supply of corpses, where shall we be free to practice our sinister arts? We thrive on discord and suffering. How could we survive in a world were such things no longer exist? How I despise peace and all those who practice it!"

"But I am a wolf of peace," the leader protested. "I shall bring peace to the world by my actions."

Mallt only laughed. "You, bring peace? Ha! You shall only bring what you have only brought, bloodshed and more bloodshed. Violence begets only violence. Your reign is nothing more than fire and blood. Someday, you too shall perish by your own sword, as all conquerors must. And on that day, I shall joyously tear your body apart for use in my magics."

Now the leader pounded his fist upon the stone. "Never! I shall never be defeated, crone! For my destiny is great!"

"You shall be defeated, sooner than you think!" the witch shot back. "For the female you have called up here, she already holds the keys to your destruction!"

Seeing, in her way, the unease that settled over the golden leader, she was pleased. "But don't worry, with my magics, I shall ensure that she is not the one to destroy you. By the skills of Hecate, I shall preserve your life for a few years more and hers I shall take most happily."

The golden wolf did not know what to say. Perhaps he even feared to say anything. But he spoke nonetheless. "Um… thank you, hag?"

"I just ask one reward," the witch said quietly as she turned her gaze to the numerous skulls that hung behind the leader.

"Now, you can't have any of those," he protested. "They are all very personal to me. All of the enemies I have defeated, all the leaders I have vanquished. And when I annihilate Kate, her skull shall sit there in the place of honor."

He shivered as the white eyes turned back toward him. "Don't worry," Mallt said. "That is not what I seek. What I want shall take nothing from you, I guarantee it. But your Kate, she has a sister."

"I know," the golden wolf responded. "I've seen the movie."

"Yes," the vile witch continued, as though she didn't even hear him, "a sister named Lilly. I want her."

The golden wolf tilted his head in confusion. "As I recall, she's weak. What do you want her for?"

The witch smiled. "There is one thing which makes our magic more powerful than any other. One special ingredient that, when captured, gives our potions and incantations a potency greater than anything can withstand. And that one thing is a completely pure soul."

A pause throughout the cave, as all things seem to fall silent. She continued. "But such a soul is exceptionally rare. I think that there might not be one left in all the Yukon. That is why I want hers, for it may be the most beautiful and pure soul Canada has ever seen. Once I have captured and desecrated it, I shall then be unstoppable!"

The golden wolf did not know how to respond, but he was not inclined to give anyone but himself the power of invulnerability. "Now, see here," he said, "I cannot allow you to have anything that would make you more powerful than me."

"It wasn't a request," the witch said darkly. "I shall have it, and you shall bring it to me, whether you like it or not!"

And then, a chill wind burst into the cavern, so violent and cold that it caused all the wolves to shield themselves and cover their eyes. When they looked again, Mallt was gone.

* * *

**What evils await our heroes when they reach this dark realm?**

**Read on.**


	14. Lilly

**Hello everyone. Today, January 28th, is the birthdate of the man from whom I took my pen-name, General Charles "Chinese" Gordon. (Jan. 26th was the date of his heroic last stand at Khartoum.) In honor of this, I'm posting a very special two-chapter section of this story dealing with some important events in the life of one of our favorite characters. From the chapter title, you can probably guess who.**

* * *

Kate shook herself awake and slowly forced herself off the ground. As she was trying – and largely failing – to keep her eyes open, she saw Humphrey's head suddenly drop into her line of vision. He was standing on a crate next to where she had been laying.

"Well look who finally decided to get up," Humphrey said with a smile. "I thought you were going to sleep the whole day away, sleepyhead!"

Kate tried to shake off the last vestiges of sleep. "Come on, it can't be that late. What is it, 10 a.m.? 11 a.m.?"

"Yeah, something like that," Humphrey answered. "Well, 3 p.m., but…."

"3 p.m.?" Kate said with a start. "How can it be so late?"

"Relax, it's no big deal," Humphrey said. "Besides, you need your rest 'cause we just crossed the border into the Northwest Territories and we'll have to get out in no time."

Kate laughed ruefully. The truth was, she had not gotten as much rest as Humphrey or the other wolves had thought. She had been having considerable trouble sleeping and was up late into the night as all the other wolves had already retired to bed. Oftentimes she would sit at the open entryway of the train-car and watch the golden stars glistening in the dark blue sky above, wondering whether she had made the right choice. And when she finally managed to sleep, she got no rest that way either. Every time she fell into slumber, those accursed, horrible dreams filled her head. Whether they were fantasies or premonitions, Kate couldn't be sure, but she knew she wanted them to be gone.

Kate stretched and yawned, trying to hide the fact that she felt like she was about to collapse from exhaustion. She looked around the car to see what everyone else was doing.

"Ace wins, King loses," Edgar said as he threw down some cards. Can-do pounded the crate/table as Claw collected the bitter berries he had bet on that hand. Claw then seemed disheartened as she realized that she had just won a vine of bitter berries.

"Five wins, the nine loses," Edgar said as he dealt another hand. At this point, Hutch took a piece of meat which Scar had foraged at the last station and had now just bet.

Nearby, Garth was standing and keeping watch over the game, lest the Betas get into more mischief. Beside him, Lilly was sitting but beginning to fall over, for she looked as tired as Kate felt. Kate knew that the northern air was acting up her sinuses, making her incredibly drowsy.

"But I'm glad you're up," Humphrey said. "It was getting so boring without you."

"Don't you usually just pick on Garth when there's nothing else to do?" Kate asked, not fully awake.

"I try," Humphrey said, "but Edgar's got him so frustrated that anything I do seems nice in comparison. Watch."

Humphrey turned the nob on his gumball machine and a gumball popped out. He took the gumball and threw it at Garth's head. The gumball bounced off and Garth quickly turned around to see who or what had hit him. He saw Humphrey, holding up his gumball machine and smiling devilishly.

And Garth smiled wearily. "Ha ha, good one, Humphrey…." he said as he turned back to the Betas.

"You see, it's just no fun anymore," Humphrey said to Kate.

But now a quarrel had broken out amongst the Betas.

"You and those bitter berries," Edgar had said after Can-do lost another round. "You act like it hurts you to have to give them up!"

Can-do had growled. "Yeah, well… how would you like losing your most prized possession?"

Edgar chuckled. "Those disgusting berries are your most prized possession? What a sad and sorry excuse for a wolf you are!"

"He's addicted to them," Hutch added helpfully, or perhaps not helpfully at all.

Now Edgar burst out laughing. "I have never heard something so ridiculous! A wolf who gets addicted to bitter berries is not even a real wolf! You'd never catch me getting addicted to anything!"

By this time, Can-do had had enough of taunting. With a bark, he jumped up and leapt for Edgar.

"Miss Claw, help me!" Edgar yelled as he tried to back away from the infuriated Can-do.

Claw ran behind him and grabbed him. "I'll hold him in place for you, Can-do!"

"That's not the kind of help I meant!" Edgar squealed.

Garth rushed to break up yet another Beta battle. Lilly felt the breeze of air sweep over her as Garth ran past. She sunk to the ground and slowly, her eyes closed.

"Miss Lilly, help me!" Edgar called out. But it was already too late. Lilly had fallen into a slumber of her own.

* * *

Now Lilly was young again, a pup barely old enough to walk on her own. But walking she was, wandering around in a part of the Western Pack territory she had never been before. Though, being so young, there were many places she had never been before.

Lilly's two sisters, Kate and Melanie, had been told to take her out to play that day. But as soon as they had gotten out of the sight of their parents, the two had run off and left Lilly to fend for herself. Still being so young, Lilly didn't have the speed or strength to keep up with them and so they were out of eyesight before she knew it.

By herself in an unfamiliar part of the territory, she began to just wander, hoping to find someone she knew. However, she also realized that the chances of this were remote, since she didn't really know anybody outside of her family yet. But it was the only thing she could do to get back home. After about ten minutes, though it felt much longer for a pup, she heard voices. They were voices of other pups, and they were playing.

Lilly smiled a little as she heard them. They sounded like they were having fun. Maybe, she thought, they'd let her join in – like her sisters never had – or at least help her get back home.

She followed the noise and soon they came into view. Three wolves, older than her but younger than Kate and Melanie. They all seemed warm and friendly and they were obviously having a good time. Plus, they were not playing to rough, like her sisters always did, and their games were more appropriate for her young age. Lilly wanted to meet them.

But she hesitated. She had never met anyone outside of her family before. She didn't know what to expect. After all, if her own sisters couldn't tolerate her, who knows if these wolves would be able to? Lilly felt herself shake a little as she realized for the first time just how shy she was around strangers. She started to sulk away. But then she stepped on a twig – loud enough for the other wolves to hear.

"Who's there?" one of them, a male called.

Lilly didn't answer; she was too nervous. But then the wolf asked again.

Finally, after several repeats of this, Lilly realized that the other wolves were getting closer and closer. She knew she had to speak or she would be found out sooner than she would like. So she spoke. "Um, he-hello? It's me… er, my name's Lil-Lilly. I'm lost and I can't, um, I can't find my way home."

Another one of the wolves, a female, laughed in a friendly way. The three could tell that this was a young wolf and no sort of threat. "Well, nice to meet you, Lilly. We'll be happy to help you get home. We know this whole valley! Just come on out here!"

Lilly smiled. She couldn't believe that actually worked. She was still half-certain that something absolutely had to go wrong. But her new friends were waiting for her. So, with a nervous laugh, she jumped out of the bush and revealed herself.

And there were gasps all around. Lilly suddenly felt embarrassed as the three wolves looked at her, their eyes filled with shock and terror.

"I-is something wrong?" Lilly said shyly.

"Your fur," the third wolf (female) said. "It's… it's white!"

Lilly began walking toward them. They all took a step back for each step forward she took. They lowered their heads and their lips curled back to reveal their teeth.

"Is that… is that… a problem?" Lilly asked as she backed away, trying to hide her face from their glare. She was so embarrassed and nervous that she accidently tripped over her own legs and fell to the ground.

The three wolves jumped back when she hit the ground, as though she were preparing to unleash some secret attack, and began to growl.

"Stay away!" the male said. "Go back to where you came from, freak!"

"But… but… I just want to go home…" Lilly said sadly as she got back to her feet. She took another step, but ended up tripping again.

"This isn't your home!" the first female yelled. "There are no such things as white wolves in a normal wolfpack… in our pack!"

"Yeah," the second female added. "My mom said that a white wolf is an evil spirit that kidnaps pups and eats them!"

"My dad said that they cause whole packs to die just by existing!" the first female added.

"I'm not… I'm not evil!" Lilly cried as she got back to her feet. "I just want to go home!"

The male wolf quickly scooped up a large rock and, without any hesitation whatsoever, threw it at Lilly. She tried to jump out of the way but, being so young, she did not yet have the speed. The large rock smashed forcefully into her small white chest and hurled her backward. She now began to cry as pain and fear filled her whole body in equal measure.

Now the three wolves approached cautiously. Seeing them through tears, Lilly quickly put her paws over her eyes, not wanting to see any more.

The three wolves listened to her sobbing. The first female faltered. "I don't think evil spirits cry," said she. "Maybe she's not evil after all…."

Hearing this, Lilly removed one paw from one eye to see if her new 'friends' would go easy on her.

The male wolf snarled. "Mom and dad say that white wolves are tricky. They always want to make you think they're helpless so they can kill you when you're not looking. The only way to stop them is to kill them first!"

Hearing this, Lilly quickly put her paw back over her eye. She began to sob uncontrollably as she felt one of the wolves land on her still-sore chest. Another one grabbed her paws and pulled them away from her eyes. Flight response kicking in, she tried to kick up with her back legs, but the third wolf grabbed them and held them down.

Lilly was now forced to look up at the male wolf standing triumphantly above her. "Now hold her down while I rip her throat out!" he commanded the two females. "Then we'll bring her back to the pack and be rewarded!"

Such is friendship among those raised on prejudice and superstition.

Lilly closed her eyes and turned her head away as she felt his jaws begin to close around her soft neck. In her young life, she had never even known what death was, but at this instant, she could feel it covering over her like the sea does an unfortunate ship caught in the maelstrom.

And then, a crack of thunder. And the weight on her chest was gone. The paws holding her four legs to the ground let go. Lilly opened her eyes and saw the three wolves running into the distance. She was relieved that they had taken off so suddenly but couldn't help wondering why. Then she looked up directly above her and found her answer; an old wolf standing over her, older than she imagined any wolf could ever be.

Lilly quickly put her paws back over her eyes and started whimpering.

"Please please please please please please don't hurt me!" she screamed. "I just want to go home!" And she broke into more sobbing.

Then she felt the wolf's jaws close around her neck and expected the end to come. But the end did not come, for suddenly she felt herself being picked up into the air and then put back down upon her feet. She removed her paws instinctively so that they could support her on the ground. Now she saw that she was perfectly fine, and the old wolf was smiling at her.

"You got yourself in quite a bit of trouble, didn't you, little one?" said he with a charming voice.

Lilly began to cry again.

The wolf reached out his paw and touched her small shoulder, gently but firmly. "There, there, young one, don't cry. Everything is alright now. Everything is alright."

"I… want… to… go… home!" Lilly sobbed.

"Then I shall take you," the old wolf said. "Your parents are probably worried. Don't worry, Lilly, you're going to be fine."

Lilly looked up at him, shocked. "You… you know my name?"

He smiled kindly. "Of course I do. I'm the one who named you."

"You… named me?" Lilly was curious, even though she was still afraid. "Who are you?"

The old wolf's smile widened. "I am a very old wolf who has lived for a very long time and seen much which mortal eyes never can see. My name is Ambrose."

**(Author's Note: Remember in Chapter Six how Ambrose told Kate he was the reason she didn't lose both of her sisters that fateful day?)**

Lilly fell silent, unsure of what to make of this new friend. She felt instinctively like she could trust him but, after her other acquaintances had acted so harshly, she didn't know if there was anyone she could trust anymore.

But out of Lilly's mouth, without her meaning to say it (or even to say anything) next came the question which now burned like wildfire at her pure heart. "Um, Mr. Ambrose, am I a freak? Those mean wolves said I am. What did they mean? Am I?'

Ambrose laughed heartily, most heartily that the little pup Lilly was frightened and cowered back a few paces.

"No, you are nothing of the sort, Lilly," Ambrose responded kindly.

"Then, why am I like this?" Lilly asked. "Why am I so different?"

Ambrose smiled. "You're a very special wolf, Lilly," he answered. "So special that there has never been a wolf like you before and I doubt there shall ever be again."

Lilly looked down and kicked the ground with one of her paws, nearly causing her to trip and fall again. She avoided the old wolf's gaze, not sure what he meant or if he was telling the truth. How could she, so shy and innocent, know for sure?

Ambrose seemed to sense her very thoughts, making any words unnecessary. "Come with me and I'll take you home. And I'll tell you what I mean on the way. I don't suppose you remember anything about your birth?"

Lilly silently shook her head, still avoiding his eyes.

"Then I'll tell you all about it," Ambrose spoke wisely.

* * *

**What did Ambrose tell Lilly about her birth?**

**Read on.**


	15. Miracle

It was a dark night, an unusually dark night even for this time of year. Above, only the light of the great full moon and the sparkling stars illuminated the Earth below. Ambrose, the old hermit who had spent so many years – who among mortals can say how long? – in seclusion with not a single other wolf to talk to, sat in his high cave. Around him were various charts in the ancient language of the Egyptians. He was giving them much study and gazing up toward the heavens above, where the conjunction of stars predicted an auspicious occurrence.

Old Ambrose had long studied the stars and knew all of their patterns. The signs which danced upon the ecliptic were no mystery to him. But they had never predicted quite such a great thing as they were predicting now. Ambrose checked again to ensure that his plotting was correct and it was so. There was no denying it; there would be a miracle this night.

And then, as suddenly as could be imagined, the clear dark sky was alight with many colors, bright as the dawn, as blues and greens and purples danced in a mighty aurora. At the heart of this aurora was the shining white moon, which the colors circled around like the handmaidens of some great goddess. Ambrose was amazed, for he expected no aurora at this time – indeed, never one of such beauty and brightness this far south of the Arctic Circle. But there it was, dancing in the sky and making the valley as bright as if it was the fullest day in summer. Indeed, had the sun been above Jasper at the time, it could not even have been brighter than this.

But while Ambrose stood amazed at the purple aurora, a great fire filled the sky and burst through the pretty colors, leaving only the moon unmoved by its blaze. A comet, massive in size and erupting in flame, crashed into the atmosphere and tore down toward the valley below. Ambrose watched in a stupor as the massive comet plowed into the trees far off and made contact with the Earth. Though he could see the comet no more, Ambrose could yet make out a glow amongst the trees – the comet's flame – and could thus tell the sight of the landing.

Curious as to what this portent meant, Ambrose quickly descended from his mountain home into the valley and through the forest in which he had seen the comet go. He strode bravely forward into the dark wood with only the great, unworldly glow of the comet to guide him.

But soon the tall trees of the forest, packed so close together, obstructed his view of the brilliant glow and he was forced to go by dead reckoning alone. To add to his troubles, a legion of dark clouds suddenly appeared overhead and began to billow rain and lightning.

So was there a great noise and commotion in the heavens, but the old hermit was not disturbed. Trusting in himself and in destiny, he marched forward through the freezing rains and blinding flashes of lightning. Nor did the sharp sounds of thunder, which seemed to be all around him, give him fear. He kept going forward and nothing would make him turn back.

After walking for some time like this, Ambrose realized that the rain did not speed down so hard or chill quite to the bone any longer. The lightning was no longer of the same intensity and the sounds of thunder even began to grow tame. But, the best portent of all, the glow once again was before Ambrose's aged eyes, and he knew he was close to his goal.

And as he neared it, coming close upon it, the rains from heaven stopped all together. There was no lightning, no thunder, no dark clouds to block out the eternal signs above. Ambrose entered into the thicket wherein the comet had fallen. He had expected to see fires all about, raging into an inferno, and trees strewn around by the force of the impact. But he found nothing of the sort. All the trees were intact and – marvel of marvels – the comet seemed to have disintegrated harmlessly upon impact, leaving only its last dying embers to create the unearthly glow which had thus far guided him. The only thing that seemed affected at all, was a large tree stump in the center of the glade, wherein the remaining fragments of comet had embedded themselves.

Ambrose approached cautiously, reverently, for he knew there was special meaning to this. He came forward slowly and was soon standing over the stump itself, fully illuminated by the light of the candid moon which stood above. Therein he saw the most amazing sight – perhaps the most amazing his well-traveled eyes had ever seen. There, in a little nook, lay a she-wolf pup. She was small and frail, in every way a newborn and thus even too young to open her eyes yet. This beautiful creature lay curled in a ball and shivered, for she was very cold on such a cold night. But as Ambrose marveled, he noticed a most striking thing; her fur was, in every particular, the purest and brightest form of white.

Ambrose carefully picked up the little pup in his jaws, as tender as he could, and made to take her away from this place – for such is not a proper home for a newborn. But as he lifted her, he noticed another amazing thing. Where the young she-wolf had been laying, there had sprouted a flower, the purest and most beautiful, the whitest flower he had ever seen. It was a lily.

Ambrose marveled at this. But there was no time to remain; he wanted to get the little pup someplace warm so that she might survive the night. And so he hurried with her back to his own den high atop the mountain. And in the morning, he began the process of determining what to do with her.

Obviously, he could not keep her, for of all the things he knew, he had never known what it was like to be a father and thought that he was too old to learn such things. And obviously, this she-wolf had a great purpose in life, a great destiny. That destiny would be more likely to be fulfilled if she were a member of one of the ruling families of the valley and not the daughter of an old hermit that no one yet knew even existed. So Ambrose set out to find a home for his new ward.

He wandered through the valley below his mountain home. He knew there were two packs here, or at least there had been many generations before, when Ambrose had last known the company of other wolves. He merely had to find one.

Ambrose came to the den of the leaders of the Eastern Pack first. When he arrived at the cave, with the little white wolf held to his chest, Ambrose was made to smile to see another wolf pup charging toward them. This pup was of a deep red hue with the beginning marks of a cream underbelly. He seemed to be a natural hunter and even now acted like he had just spotted a tempting prey that he would boldly bring down himself.

"Hey mister, I've never seen you around here before!" the pup said bravely to the stranger.

"That's because I'm not a member of this pack," Ambrose said. "I'm more of a lone wolf, if you will. And who might you be?"

"My name's Garth," said the pup, "and someday I'm going to be the leader of the Eastern Pack! But if you're a lone wolf, dad says I shouldn't trust you. He says that lone wolves are nothing but trouble and should not be allowed in our valley."

Ambrose let out a rueful laugh. "Your father… certainly has some strong opinions. But he must be the leader of this pack. Where is he and where is his mate?"

"They're in our den up ahead," Garth said with a smile. But no sooner had he said it that there came shouting from that direction.

"You shall not marry our son to the daughter of the Western Pack!" a female voice said. "They will never honor such a pact! Besides, my son should be able to make up his own mind!"

"Audrey, we have to do it!" came back Tony's voice. "Winston and I both know that the caribou herds are never going to be as large as they were in the time of our ancestors! We have to unite the packs!"

"They're always like that," Garth said sadly as he looked to the ground.

Ambrose nodded knowingly. "This isn't the right place." He turned to leave.

"Hey mister, what is that you have in your paw?" Garth asked.

Ambrose looked down to where he was cradling the white pup against his chest. He smiled. "A newborn. I need to find a good home for her."

"She sure is pretty," Garth said, being not much older than a newborn himself. "Maybe when I grow up to be big and strong, I'll marry her!"

Ambrose smiled slightly as he thought of this. He then hurried away until he reached the opposite side of the valley, the home of the Western Pack.

Ambrose had no trouble whatsoever finding his way to the leaders of the Western Pack. He betook himself around the spiraling path that led to their den and found at the top a family of four. There, in the middle of the den, two three-month old pups, one tan and one grey, were busy wrestling with all their young might. Above them, their parents watched proudly.

But then Eve's ears perked up. Her head turned swiftly and she began to growl at the visitor, suspecting that he had come to do some harm to her children. This sudden action on her part caused her mate to respond; Winston turned his head slowly and also saw the unexpected guest.

"Peace," said old Ambrose. "I mean neither of you any harm."

Winston walked forward. "We have never seen you in the valley before. You're being very bold to come up to our den like this unannounced. We would normally interpret that as a threat."

Eve continued to growl loudly behind him.

"But seeing as how you are clearly an elder," Winston said, "and most likely alone, I assume you cannot mean much harm. Either that or you are the most foolish wolf in the world."

Ambrose smiled at Winston's naïve assumption that, merely because he was old, he could do no harm. But he could use this to his advantage, so he would not argue. "I will not dispute either assertion. But I have come here to bring you great tidings. For I see before me that you are a strong family and have two lovely daughters of your own."

Eve growled loud enough to shake several nearby pebbles at the thought that the mysterious wolf might have an interest in her pups.

Ambrose raised up his free paw. "Be at peace, I say, for I have not come with any harmful thoughts in mind. I have brought you a great boon; another daughter to raise as your own."

"What?" Winston and Eve exclaimed together in shock and anger. Surely this wolf was not serious – for how could this mysterious wolf just appear and try to foist another pup off on them.

Now they noticed the newborn cradled against his chest and were made to wonder. They noticed too that it was purest and most candid white.

Eve could not contain her fury. "How dare you, whoever you are, come into our home and dare try to pawn off a helpless newborn on us! For all we know, you killed its parents and brought it here intending to do us great harm. And a white wolf too, a poison upon any wolf-pack! Do you mean to destroy us? What have we ever done to you?"

Ambrose waved his paw. "No, no, no. Hear me, this wolf pup is no curse, no poison. Nor was she born as were most wolves, but her birth was an auspicious miracle. There was never a wolf born like this in the world's history, and I doubt that there shall ever be again."

"We will not take in any other wolf's child," Eve answered defiantly, "especially none that is such a bad omen as that one. You say that she was born miraculously. Well, I shall not believe it until I have seen proof of it myself."

Ambrose carefully handed her the child. "You want proof? Then take her yourself and see how innocent she lies, kicking softly and trying to find warmth in a cold world. Doesn't she seem to be a miracle in and of herself?"

"No, she seems like no such thing, but a ugly rat of a wolf that should–" Eve suddenly fell silent in the middle of speech, as though some spirit had robbed her of her very words. She had, as she was speaking, looked down upon the closed-eyed pup nestling itself in her forelegs.

And then, the pup opened her eyes for the first time. Eve broke off speaking and gasped as the pup looked up at her with eyes the most miraculous color of lavender, never seen in any wolf before and never seen in any since. Innocently and imploringly, the little pup looked up at Eve, wondering if this was her mother.

Eve's heart immediately melted as she looked into those beautiful eyes. "Winston," she said quietly. "We're keeping her."

"But, dear–" Winston began to speak.

"We're keeping her," Eve said firmly. Winston knew better than to argue.

"Now, what shall we name the darling?" Eve said, more to herself than anyone else.

Ambrose chose to volunteer, though it would have been a risk no lesser wolf would have taken, "Seeing that she is most white of fur and pure of heart, perhaps you should choose a fitting name based on that. Perhaps a name like a flower."

"Yes…" Eve said, deep in thought, "we shall name her Daisy."

Ambrose and Winston both cringed.

"May I suggest something beginning with 'L'?" Ambrose added.

"Leila?"

Ambrose shook his head slowly. "No, a flower beginning with 'L'."

"Lavender? Like her eyes."

"No, no, no," Ambrose said. "A _white_ flower beginning with 'L'."

"How about Lilac? I know most lilacs are purple, but there are white ones."

Ambrose kept himself calm even though he could not believe how hard this was getting. He realized he'd have to speak openly. "How about 'Lilly'?"

Eve thought about this for a moment. "I like 'Daisy' better."

"No, I think Lilly is quite a nice name," Winston volunteered. "It sounds sweet and pure."

He half-expected to be shouted down again and began to resign himself to have a new daughter named Daisy when Eve unexpectedly agreed.

"Lilly it is," she said sweetly. But then she began to lift her head to face Ambrose. "But if this is some sort of a trick, I will personally–"

For a second time her speech was stolen as she saw that, where the old hermit had previously been, there was now no one there. Winston and Eve looked to each other in confusion. But soon, their mischievous daughters Kate and Melanie distracted them and they turned back to the den with the newly-christened Lilly held against Eve's chest.

Ambrose watched from above. "Now that you have made the decision," he said, "I shall ensure that you keep it. I do not trust you not to abandon this pup should you ever have reason to do so. So I shall cast a spell – which I should never do in any other circumstance – that shall make you forget all this and believe that she was born as your own daughter. In that way, though love her or hate her as you may, you shall never be able to abandon her."

Ambrose cast his spell and, falling silent, was gone.

* * *

Lilly was so engrossed in the mysterious stranger's tale that she did not notice that her den was straight ahead.

"Is that story true?" she asked innocently.

Ambrose just smiled furtively. "Perhaps."

"Wow," Lilly said. "So that's why… that's why I'm so different. I can't wait to tell mommy and daddy!"

Ambrose's face suddenly darkened. "No, you cannot tell your parents. For you are still young, and the spell I put of them must hold a while longer, until you reach adulthood at least."

"But if I don't tell them, I think I'll burst from keeping it inside!" Lilly said. As she did so, she leapt in a circle around Ambrose.

This caused Ambrose to smile again. But he was firm. "If you must tell someone, tell the wind or the reeds of the river. But do not tell your parents. Besides, you are just a pup and shall forget everything I have said in time."

"Then, um, then why tell me all this?" Lilly asked shyly.

"Because," Ambrose said, his face and voice suddenly becoming serious, "even when you consciously forget all that I have said, some part of you, some deep hidden part, shall always know. And that shall bring you great strength when you need it the most."

Both now fell silent, and before they could say more, Lilly saw her den up ahead and heard the voices of her parents and Kate. She ran forward to meet them. However, just as she reached the den, she saw a butterfly flutter overhead. This strange creature was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She reached out her paw to touch it, but it fluttered just out of reach.

As she was trying to grasp it, Lilly was suddenly reminded of her new friend. She turned her head back toward the path to wish him farewell. But to her surprise, he was already gone.

And then she heard Kate's voice from the cave. "It was Lilly. Lilly did it."

* * *

Lilly awoke slowly as she felt a paw land gently on her shoulder. Her beautiful lavender eyes fluttered open to see Kate standing over her. Kate looked as tired and careworn as she had earlier. In fact, she looked as if she almost envied Lilly for having been able to get some sound sleep.

"Sis, it's time to go," Kate said. "We're at the end of the line."

Lilly lifted her head to look at all the other wolves in the twilight colors that danced around the train-car. The majority of the Betas were getting ready to set out, with the exception of Edgar, who was digging through a large crate.

"What's he doing?" Lilly asked.

"He's found a box of books and he's seeing if there are any about gambling."

Edgar was digging through the crate and furiously tossing books left and right.

"Has he found anything interesting?" Lilly asked, more out of needing something to say than genuine curiosity.

"Well, there was a German book about clothes he seemed rather interested in for a while," Kate said. "Then he found a book about how to cheat against your friends at poker. We told him he couldn't take that. Now he's looking at–"

"Hey guys," Edgar said as he triumphantly removed another book from the crate, "guess what I found? It's a guidebook all about northern Canada! Do you guys wanna hear some of this?"

"No!" was the resounding shout from everyone except Lilly.

Edgar was about to protest this treatment when he was distracted by a gumball bouncing off his head. Lilly and Kate looked to see Humphrey and Garth standing not too far away, with Humphrey's gumball machine beside them.

"Okay, let me try!" Garth said. He took a gumball from the machine and threw it at Edgar. The unfortunate Beta turned around to face them just in time for the gumball to smack right into his left eye.

Garth and Humphrey high-threed.

"They've been at this for hours," Kate said. "Ever since they realized that they have a common enemy that they hate more than each other."

Lilly didn't know what to think. "I know we always wanted them to get along but now that they're doing it more and more… it seems kinda…."

"Wrong?" Kate said, knowing already what her sister had in mind.

"Yeah…." Lilly responded quietly.

But then Lilly fell silent. Kate did not notice, since Lilly often fell silent like that. She could not have imagined the thoughts going through Lilly's head as the little white wolf tried to piece together her strange dream and wondered what it all meant.

It couldn't have been real, could it?

Lilly was still asking these questions as, at Garth's side, she set out with the other wolves from the train and into the silent and frozen unknown. The easy part of their journey was now behind them. What remained ahead was snow, mountains, difficulty, and trials like they had never experienced before.

Welcome to the frozen north, wolves of Jasper. Welcome, indeed.

* * *

**What awaits our heroes in the frozen north?**

**Read on.**


	16. Wonders

Kate was briskly leading the other wolves through the large snow-banks and sweeping blizzards of the north. Though the others were clearly not enjoying this experience, for the most part, Kate was trotting ahead happily. Though she was still dangerously low on sleep, the cold chill of the north had managed to reinvigorate her and restore her sense of confidence in herself and her decision.

"K-K-Kate," Humphrey chattered from behind her. "How c-c-can you be s-s-so upbeat? Aren't you freezing your tail off like the r-r-rest of us?"

Kate smiled over her shoulder. "Come on, this is nothing compared to what we had to face in Alpha School! At the height of winter, the lake we used for bathing would freeze over, and we had to jump in, break the ice, and bathe in the freezing water. If you didn't bathe, you could be expelled! And that was even after we'd only gotten an hour of sleep or so from our last lesson!"

"I-I-I've never been gladder n-n-not to have gone to A-A-Alpha School!" Humphrey said as best he could.

Garth was holding up just as well as Kate, even if he was not in the same elated state of mind. Normally, he would have relished the chance to show up Humphrey by displaying how his Alpha training – the same as Kate's – had given him a better edge at surviving the cold. But right now, he was more worried about Lilly.

There was little reason to worry. Lilly was, despite being the smallest and lightest of the wolves, making her way easily through the large snowdrifts. They came up nearly to her nostrils, but this did not seem to bother her at all as she pressed onward. Whether it was because her white fur gave her a natural affinity to the snow or because she had too much on her mind to much bother with mere physical discomfort, we will never be able to say. But, all the same, she was holding up admirably.

It had been a long, hard march, with very little food to be had. The Alphas and Betas had some experience in snowy weather and knew how to survive it, but they had never been in blizzards such as this nor had they ever encountered such extreme food shortages. Most days, they were lucky if they could find so much as a rabbit for the nine wolves to share between them. Everyone was tired and hungry.

"If we don't ever find any food," Edgar interjected, "can we eat Humphrey?"

"Me?" Humphrey said indignantly. "Why would you eat me? I mean, I just skin and bones! If we should eat anybody, it should be Garth! I mean, look at all that meat on him!"

"I'm an Alpha and you're an Omega," Garth said with mild annoyance, "ergo, I'm more necessary to our survival than you are. You're expendable."

"Wait, so just because I'm an Omega, I have to get eaten first?" Humphrey shot back. "That's completely unfair! That's discrimination!"

"Nobody's eating anybody!" Kate announced. "We are not going to starve! We'll find food somewhere."

"I say we eat Edgar," Claw said.

"All in favor?" Scar added. All four non-Edgar Betas raised their paws.

"I said, we aren't going to need to eat anybody!" Kate responded. "We'll find food soon enough."

"I wasn't saying that we should eat Edgar to avoid starvation," Claw said apologetically. "I just thought it would shut him up!"

"He'd give you indigestion," Lilly said quietly.

"Oh, right," Claw responded. "Okay, scratch that idea, then."

Order thus restored, our heroes continued their arduous journey. However, no food was to be found that day, or the next day, or the day after that. Things seemed to get worse and worse from the moment they crossed from the Northwest Territories and entered the Yukon itself.

How did they know that they had entered the Yukon, you may ask? I shall tell you. The very moment it happened, all their hearts were filled with an inescapable foreboding. It is beyond words to describe it, but it was as if the chill of the air had become chillier, the cold snows colder, and the sun above ceased to provide warmth at all but became like an evil orb adding sorrow upon sorrow. What was worst, every wolf felt as though, wherever they went from now on, eyes were upon them, eyes that watched them closely with intentions most malicious and evil.

Had they been paying particular attention, they would have seen an old, beaten sign half-covered by the snow-drifts at the Yukon border. The words upon the sign were these:

**_"Ne plus ultra."*_**

"You know, in the Yukon," Edgar said during one of the long marches from freezing nothingness to snowy oblivion, flipping through his travel-book he had brought with him, "there are these amazing creatures that are half canine and half boar and half horse–"

"That's three halves!" Claw protested. "You can't have three halves, baboon!"

"It's what the book says!" Edgar shot back. "If the book says it, it must be true! But, anyway, if anyone approaches them, they open up their great tusked mouths and breathe out huge pillars of flame that immediately roast the intruder. What a strange sight! And there are also chickens in the Yukon which, when anyone goes to touch them, they burst into flames in a mighty blast and incinerate everyone in the general vicinity!"

"Exploding chickens, now I've heard it all," Humphrey quipped. "Mind you, I've always said poultry should be equipped with dynamite. Could be a lot of fun."

"Then there are ants in the Yukon big as horses, that dig in the sand dunes all day and night to bring up these huge piles of gold, enough that you could live comfortably for the rest of your life. Now these ants are dangerous and will devour anything that comes into sight, so it says that if you want to retrieve any of the gold, you should take three camels–"

"Where are you going to get camels this far north?" Can-do exclaimed, annoyed at having to listen to this. "And where could there possibly be sand-dunes in the Yukon?"

But Edgar was undaunted. "And then it says that there are these witches in the Yukon, the witches of the dark caverns, and that they are a danger to anyone travelling–"******

"Edgar," Garth said in annoyance, "what type of travel guide is that! It doesn't make any sense!"

Edgar looked over the book. "Well, it's from Mandeville Publishing, so I guess it should be pretty reliable."

Garth held back a few paces so that he was now beside Edgar. Quickly, he grabbed the book out of Edgar's hands and threw it into a nearby frozen lake. The book broke through the ice but the chill was so cold that, as soon as it did so, the lake immediately froze over again.

Edgar looked broken-hearted at the irretrievable loss of his newest companion. It had been the only one of the whole journey that made any sense to him.

But presently, Kate beheld something that seemed to signal a change in fortune. There, upon a nearby ridge leading into a valley, stood a single large caribou, the first any of them had seen since entering the Yukon.

She quickly signaled to the others. They all perked up immediately upon recognizing that a real food source had presented itself. While it was just one caribou, it was an incredibly large one that would give them all, with the proper rationing, a fine level of sustenance.

And, within no time, the caribou was down. Kate, Garth, and all the Betas – even Edgar – had been driven by hunger, that greatest of motivators, to work together in perfect harmony and symmetry. Nothing was out of place, nothing was too difficult. Everything fit together perfectly. Had you seen it, you would have thought that this particular caribou-hunt was not a desperate struggle but a well-choreographed routine, so perfectly did all the wolves know their parts.

And once Kate delivered the killing blow, she stepped back to admire her work. And all the wolves looked from one to the other, each filled with joy at the prospect of filling their famished bellies. And for one brief, shining moment, they were all as friends. As they gazed at the caribou in wonder, all the hatred, all the hostility, all the old feuds were forgotten. They were truly one pack united in this instant.

And then, without regard to ranks, to Alphas, Betas, or Omegas, the wolves charged for the caribou, each ready to take what he or she could get out of it. Lilly and Garth were the last two to join in, as Lilly did not want to jostle with the others and Garth wanted to stay with her to ensure she got her fair share.

"Save the liver for me!" Lilly called out as she went to join the others once the initial rush was over

Garth chuckled as he followed her. "Lilly loves livers," he said.

But cruel and fickle fortune, which seems to delight in mixing any triumph with some hint of tragedy, would not let the Jasper wolves have their happiness unopposed. For, as they sated themselves on the caribou, Kate became aware that they were not alone in this valley.

From out of burrows and caves hidden by the snow had arisen dark brown forms, a large number of them. It was evident to Kate that they were in the territory of another pack. She mentally kicked herself for not picking up any territorial scent but was surprised that Garth and the Betas hadn't seemed to notice anything either.

By now, everyone else had stopped eating and were looking at the advancing pack with considerable concern. Something bad was in the offing, everyone could feel it.

But as the pack approached, our heroes could tell that there was something not quite right about them. Though they were many in number, one and all they looked to be on the verge of starvation. Even the strongest wolves – probably Alphas – looked to be little more than skin and bones.

From out of these wolves stepped one that was older and greyer than the others, though still largely brown. He was obviously a figure of authority from the way the other wolves seemed halted when he strode forward. Kate surmised that he was the leader of this pack and made to approach him. She acted cautiously, attempting to communicate through body-language that she meant no harm.

But the other wolf was undecipherable. He did not make any response to her approach and she could not begin to guess his feelings at her arrival.

So she took the initiative. "Greetings. We don't mean you or your pack any harm. We're not here as enemies and we're not trying to take over your territory. We were just traveling through and came upon this caribou. We hadn't eaten in days and we needed something to keep us going. But we didn't realize that this was somebody's territory and if we had, we never would have hunted here without your permission. We just want to continue on our way up north without any trouble."

The brown wolf raised a paw to signal that no more words were needed. "Peace, traveler," he said. "There is no need to explain. Food is scarce throughout the Yukon, the caribou herds are nearly all gone. We cannot blame you for seeking a new home or for taking whatever food you can find. We must all do what we can to survive in these dark times. Nor do we blame you for violating our territory, for surely you have not forgotten that our lord and master has forbidden us to mark territories anymore ever since the Yukon became _one big happy pack_."

As he spoke these last words, the distain in his voice for the mentioned ruler became evident.

He continued, "We shall be happy to share what we have with you, even though it is not much, for as long as you need to stay."

Kate smiled at this tender-hearted gesture. Perhaps she had misjudged the situation. These wolves did not seem so bad after all.

And then Lilly walked up beside and nudged her. Kate turned to her sister, whose lavender eyes looked down to the half-eaten caribou and then to the native pack. Kate understood what she meant and gave a nod of approval. But Kate did not move to say anything; she wanted Lilly to get used to acting on her own initiative.

Realizing that Kate was not about to do it for her, Lilly stepped forward and, despite her nervousness, began to speak. "Please, Mr. Northern Wolf, your pack needs this caribou much more than we do. Take what's left and give it to those most in need."

The northern wolf's eyes filled with tears. He had, in the good times before the coming of the conqueror, hosted many lost wolves and wolf-packs in his lands, and had always provided for them extravagantly, but had never received such generosity in return as what he now received from this little white she-wolf when he had nothing to give.

With a nod, he ordered two of his Betas to take the caribou and divide it fairly amongst his pack.

Recovering himself, he said, "So, what land in the scarred Yukon still holds such generosity as I have never seen even in my best days? From what part of the north come you who have shown honor and compassion not seen since the times of our ancestors?"

"Oh, we don't come from the north," Kate said easily, her fear now gone. "We represent the Jasper Unified Wolfpack and we're trying to find the Yukon Pack capital. If you could tell us in what direction it is, that would be all we'll ask for."

Kate knew it was a mistake the moment she said it. She couldn't say why, exactly, but she knew that when the words came out of her mouth, the mood in the air changed from one of welcome to one of suspicion and fear.

The old northern wolf eyed Kate up and down, his glare suddenly becoming furious.

Kate chuckled nervously. "He he, did I say something wrong?"

The northern wolf snarled. "So, here we were willing to give you our finest hospitality and all the while you are the cause of our present suffering!"

"But we've never done anything–" Kate began.

"Liar!" the northern wolf barked. "The whole world knows that our lord and master has brought such wrath down upon because of what Jasper – and the one called Kate in particular – did to him. He blames the world for that one wolf's treachery and he will destroy us all just to destroy her! If I could but get my paws upon her, I'd wring her neck!"

Edgar now found this to be the perfect moment to speak up. He pointed toward Kate. "Well, you're in luck, because she's right there!"

And suddenly, all the northern wolves began advancing on them, their faces changed from suspicion to outright hostility.

Claw whacked Edgar on the back of the head. "Thanks a lot, baboon," she said. "Has it been your plan the whole time to get us all killed?"

Edgar shrugged. "Don't blame me! I'm not the one who betrayed the Yukon guy. That was Kate!"

"I didn't do anything," Kate said quietly, though quickly, over her shoulder. "I don't even know who they're talking about!"

"A likely story," said the northerner, who had heard the whole exchange, being only about a foot or so away from Kate now. "Our _blessed sovereign_ sent his lackeys to give us very specific instructions that you weren't to be harmed if we came across you, that we should lead you to his valley so that he could dispose of you himself. But I say, if we kill you all, he won't have any more reason to harm us like he does. He won't have any more reason to keep fighting these wars, or to kill us, or to take our food! Without you, he won't even have a reason to reign! That is why you all must die!"

Kate and Lilly backed away from him and toward their own wolves. Even though the northerners looked to be individually much weaker due to their lack of food, there were so many of them that the Jasper wolves, being nine, did not think they could put up much of a resistance. But the northern pack was closing in around them from all sides.

"I hate to say 'I told you so,'" Humphrey said, "but since this is the last time I'm ever going to get to say it, I told you so!"

"Not now, Humphrey!" Kate shot back.

"Not now? Not now?" Humphrey exclaimed. "There isn't any other time but now! We're all going to be dead in a few minutes!"

"Well, way to bring everybody down," Garth said. "I thought you were supposed to be the one who keeps us all feeling cheerful!" In truth, he knew what Humphrey was trying to say, but Garth couldn't resist – if this was the end – getting in one last parting shot at his old rival.

"Well, I'm sorry that I don't have a lot of jokes about being torn apart by a starving northern pack," Humphrey retorted. "I do have a couple of great jokes about the plague, but you really need to have the boils already covering you to get the full impact out of them."

The northerner and the wolves behind him had stopped advancing, stunned by the surreal bickering of their intended victims. This gave Edgar the opportunity he had been waiting for. He jumped in front of Kate and Lilly, as though he was ready to defend them to the death.

"Stay away, northern dogs!" he shouted. "For I am a great enchanter and if you try to harm us in any way, I shall destroy you all with my terrible sorcery!"

"Edgar, what are you doing?" Garth whispered as the northern wolves collectively began laughing at the eastern Beta.

"I read about it in that book you threw away," Edgar whispered back. "This is how you handle hostile natives."

And then he turned back toward the northerners. "Laugh if you will," he said in the most commanding voice he could muster, "for I shall prove it to you with an awesome display of my supernatural power!"

Claw turned to the nearest advancing northern wolf. "You know what," she said, "just kill me now. Just go for the throat. I don't want to be around to see this!"

And then, with a theatrical sweeping gesture, Edgar pulled out his deck of playing cards. "Pick a card," said he, "but under no circumstances are you to let me see what you have chosen. Once you have done that, without seeing your card, I shall use my extraordinary powers to correctly state which card it is."

"Edgar, you're going to get us killed faster," Garth whispered with a hint of mockery in his voice.

The northern leader took a card and looked at it. Edgar smiled and made some more theatrical gestures before finally giving his prediction. "Is your card the nine of spades?"

"The ace of hearts," the bemused northerner said as he turned around the card to reveal, sure enough, the ace of hearts.

Edgar took a moment to recover from this. When he did, he said, "Oh, the ace of hearts, that's what I meant to say. I always get the ace of hearts and the nine of spades confused! They're just so similar!"

Edgar would have said more in his defense, but he was distracted by the loud chants of "Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" that resounded through the air. Luckily, it was not the northerners chanting this, but Claw, Scar, and Can-do.

Yet, the northerners seemed happy to take them up on their suggestion and began to advance menacingly once again. Things looked bleak.

And just as they were closing in, Lilly said, "Edgar, can I try the card trick instead?"

Edgar quickly handed Lilly the cards and she began to shuffle them. She walked up bravely to the northern leader and said, "Pick a card, please!"

The northerner was unsure of how to respond, given how the situation had played out last time, but he ultimately chose a card and did not show it to Lilly.

Lilly smiled one of her beautifully sweet smiles and said, "Is your card the king of diamonds?"

A series of gasps spread through the northern pack as their leader turned around his card to indeed reveal the king of diamonds.

"That is unheard-of sorcery!" the northern leader exclaimed. He then fell before Lilly's paws. "Please, mighty one, spare our simple pack. We did not understand your power when we made to attack you. Forgive us our folly and ignorance, for we shall give you anything you want in return for not utterly wiping us out as we now know you can do."

Lilly gently helped him stand and with a slightly confused smile, said, "Um, if you could just tell us which way the Yukon capital is, that would be great…."

"Oh, it's just a little ways northward now," he responded, cheerful at the thought of not being blown up like a chicken, "You go north until you reach the next river, walking in a northwesterly direction for a day or two, and then when you see the high mountains up against the sea, you'll know you're there."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lilly exclaimed excitedly. "Thank you, Mr. Northern Wolf! You guys are really sweet after all! Come on guys, let's get out of here!"

The Jasper wolves, though stunned by yet another rapid turn of fortune's wheel, were not ungrateful for the opportunity to leave this valley behind. They quickly departed and continued on their way to the enemy's stronghold. They followed the directions precisely and within two days had reached the outskirts of the northern capital, where Justin was waiting to receive them. He escorted them into the valley and they all knew then that, for better or worse, their fate was now sealed.

As the leader of the hungry northerners watched his unwelcome guests leave his valley behind to continue their northern trek, his chief Beta came up beside him.

"How could you let them escape?" the Beta said. "If we had killed them, we could have sent their bodies to the capital and perhaps have gotten better treatment as a reward! But now, if he kills them himself, he shall have no reason to treat us kindly and nothing to distract him from us!"

The leader laughed. "You are still young and have much to learn. There is no dealing with vipers, for they shall look for any excuse to betray you, especially if you go against their stated orders. But fear not, for those are not ordinary wolves! We have seen their magnificent power made manifest before us and I think that when our so-called ruler has to face them, he shall be in for a nasty surprise indeed. It is just as that shaman has said – A New Age is coming to the Yukon, quickly and soon!"

When the leader had said these things, a great feeling of hope was sparked throughout his pack. And then and there, they spontaneously broke into song:

_"Fear not the vile Scorpion,_

_For the Sun will win the war_

_Bringing happiness to all of us_

_For a thousand years or more!"_

* * *

***A Latin phrase translating as "No more beyond." It was used in ancient times to describe the Pillars of Hercules (Rock of Gibraltar), the limit of the known world. Whatever was beyond that point was considered mysterious and otherworldly.**

**** All of the marvels Edgar details, with the exception of the witches of the dark caverns, come from a text I had to translate for my Old English class called "Wonders of the East" that describes what people really did believe existed in faraway lands. The story of the gold-digging ants is particularly widespread; for some reason it recurs in the myths and legends of nearly every culture in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. **

* * *

_**Here ends Book the Second of Perils of the North**_

**Read on.**


	17. The Edge of the World

_**Here Begins Book the Third of Perils of the North**_

**III. The Yukon. III.**

* * *

**"O, wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us**

**To see oursels as ithers see us!**

**It wad frae mony a blunder free us,**

**An' foolish notion:**

**What airs of dress an' gait wad lea'e us,**

**An' ev'n devotion!"**

**- Robert Burns, "To A Louse"**

* * *

The Jasper wolves had to admit that there was a certain natural beauty to the Yukon capital. The imposing half-circle of white mountain peaks enclosed a bounteous valley of spacious plains and rolling hills stretching all the way to the dark boundary of the Beaufort Sea. In fact, it was difficult to tell where the wavy blue-green hills stopped and the hilly blue-green waves began. It would not be difficult for a weary traveler who had just transversed the whole Yukon to believe that they had found the storied paradise hidden at the edge of the world.

However, if the scenery was enough to warm the newcomers' hearts, the reaction of the native inhabitants was anything but. As the Jasper wolves walked through the narrow defile that led into the valley, large Yukon wolves gathered upon the overlooking cliffs and began to taunt and jeer. They yelled out insults and threats and things about Kate and Lilly which cannot be repeated in civilized company.

"Well, at least the locals are friendly," Humphrey remarked to Kate after one of them made a particularly offensive taunt. "And to think we were _worried_ about coming up here!"

Lilly stayed close to Garth the whole time. But it was not so much the terrible comments directed at her by the various northern thugs that lined the defile walls, but something else, much higher up had caught her sight.

There stood Mallt and her fellow witches, watching Lilly with particular interest.

"Should we take her now?" one of the witches said. "We could just swoop in and grab her without anyone being the wiser!"

Mallt laughed one of her chilling, screeching laughs. "Patience, sister. The time we are waiting for has not yet arrived. Let our foolish friends had their fun first, then we shall move in once the chaos is at its height!"

"But, I just thought–" the other witch began.

Mallt turned toward her with those blank, white eyes. Yet, despite being so blank and white, they somehow burned with an unimaginable fury. The witch immediately fell silent, knowing full well that to challenge Mallt's judgments was to invite death.

Mallt turned back to Lilly. "Besides, we have no need to hurry. No one can see us but when we want to be seen. Our magic is too potent!"

Had Mallt not been so full of herself, she might have noticed that Lilly was watching her the whole time. For what Mallt said was true as far as the other wolves were concerned, but not Lilly. What nobody realized was that Lilly was keeping a secret of her own. While everyone had thought Lilly had completely returned to normal after Lilith was defeated, Lilly knew that Lilith's possession had left her with an unintended gift – or had inadvertently awakened something already inside her. Now, whenever there was a supernatural occurrence that the others could not detect, Lilly could still see it clearly. No force of witchcraft or sorcery could possibly prevent her seeing the things that are normally hidden from mortal sight.

Lilly shuttered and rubbed up against Garth as she watched the witches of the dark caverns staring back at her. Garth, thinking that she was frightened by the mocking brutes surrounding them, put his foreleg around her to show her that she was safe from any possible threat. But Lilly knew better.

Kate was following Justin closely and, despite all the rude taunts being flung at her, never took her eyes off of him in case he was leading her into a trap. But Justin himself seemed to pay no mind to his boisterous comrades and just kept on walking. Soon enough, they had come to the entrance of the valley, wherein a sign of welcome had been placed by the Yukon wolves.

Kate's jaw dropped as she saw the insulting picture of herself, her mate, her sister, and her brother-in-law hung up like newly caught fish, under which were the words, "Warmest Welcomes to the Dogs of Jasper." So did Garth's. Humphrey and Lilly exchanged worried glances, for they knew that this could not end well.

But, surprisingly or not, the first wolf to speak up was Can-do. "Who do these wolves think they are, to insult our leaders like this? I say we tear this thing down and show them that you don't insult Jasper and get away with it!"

These were Kate's thoughts exactly. But, luckily, hearing them come out of someone else's mouth made her realize the dangerous sort of position destroying the image would put them in. Angry as she was, Kate had to admit that, this time, flying off the handle was not the best course of action. So, trying to let go of her pride, Kate blocked out the laughing of the northern wolves and said, "No, Can-do, it's alright. Now isn't the right time. We'll have our chance to get back at them later."

This, for the first time, caused Justin to show some emotion. He chuckled. "Doubt it!" he said under his breath.

Kate had heard him, but knowing she was on enemy territory, again did not give into the taunt. She merely signaled the wolves following her to avert their eyes so that none of them glanced at the offending portrait.

Edgar did anyway. "Hey, Kate, this is actually a pretty good likeness. They have you and Humphrey down to a tee!"

Kate growled at him as more laughter erupted from the northern wolves. She was becoming more and more embarrassed the longer this went on. "Edgar, would you just shut up for once!" she shouted.

"Ooh, somebody's touchy," Edgar remarked.

Kate had now nearly lost her hard-won patience. She was about ready to tell Edgar and all the northern wolves just what they could do with the portrait when Lilly put a paw on her shoulder.

"Don't let them get to you, sis," Lilly whispered. "Once they get to you, they've already won."

Kate realized Lilly was right. So she shut her mouth, held her head up, and followed Justin without giving Edgar, the portrait, or the northern thugs another glance. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done, but she knew that she was saving the pack from greater distress.

Soon, Justin had conducted them into the valley. "Our leader wants to explain things to you personally," he explained, "so that's where we're going. By the way, he's the one who painted that lovely portrait at the entrance. Did you like it?"

Kate gritted her teeth. She knew that she couldn't let herself have another outburst. She realized that that was exactly what the northerners were trying to get her to do. But, for her pack's honor and dignity, she could not allow herself to give in. At least not yet.

Justin led them toward the valley's central mountain. It was called such even though it was not very central at all, but was actually on the outskirts. It was the largest mountain in the range that enclosed the valley and separated it from the forests beyond.

As they walked, the Jasper wolves noticed a number of other wolves coming to see them. These were not like the massive brutes they had first encountered upon entering the valley, but were more like the earlier pack of wolves they had met; ill-fed to the point of starvation and acting much more terrified than belligerent toward their visitors. These too were residents of the valley, but they obviously did not enjoy the same prosperity as their cousins in the defile. These sad creatures nervously peaked out at the visitors from around the strange statues of a large wolf that everywhere dotted the valley.

Kate was busy wondering about this when Justin announced that they had reached the mountain. Kate looked up and her jaw dropped, as did those of all the wolves behind her. Their eyes all turned upward, trying to find the summit of the huge white mountain, the pride of its mountain-range, but in vain. No matter where they looked, the mountain stretched higher and higher, up and up until it was finally obscured from their sight by the lofty clouds that blanketed the sky. The wolves had never seen anything quite so tall in their lives. It was hard to believe that this was a natural structure and not some tower built to reach up into the heavens.

"Benny was right," Humphrey said. "Their central mountain _is_ much more impressive than ours is. Ours is more like a central hill compared to this. Or maybe more like a central mound of dirt."

Kate elbowed him.

"Ahem," Justin said. Kate and Humphrey turned their eyes quickly to see that he had already started to advance up one of the many snaky paths and was waiting for the Jasper wolves to follow him. Slightly embarrassed, Kate began walking in that direction and the others followed.

It was a long way up to the top, a long winding way. It was quite difficult even for Kate and Garth to continue on, having already walked all day, but Humphrey and Lilly were suffering the most.

"Just… just five minutes…" Humphrey said as he fell to the ground, out of breath. "Five minutes and I'll be fine…."

Lilly sat down beside him and began to pant heavily. They weren't even halfway up.

Kate and Garth were willing to let their mates catch their breath and Edgar seemed to take it as an opportunity to get the other Betas to go one more round of cards, which he hadn't been able to play for several days. But not everyone was quite as happy with this arrangement.

Justin walked over. "It'll be midnight by the time we get up there at this rate!" he complained. Once he reached Humphrey, he shouted, "Get up!" and proceeded to kick the Omega in the stomach. Humphrey quickly jumped to his feet and scurried out of kicking range.

Justin immediately fell to the ground, having received a fierce blow from Kate. She had been willing to take almost anything from the northerners. But actual violence toward those she cared about was something she would never abide.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Kate yelled at the prone northerner. "You leave my mate alone, you hear?"

"It's alright, Kate," Humphrey said, realizing that he might be the inadvertent cause of their destruction, "it didn't even really touch me! I'm fine, see!" He then tried to stand tall and proud, but promptly grabbed his ribs in pain.

This just made Kate more livid. "Where do you northern wolves get off? We come here as your guests, for your tournament or whatever, and you immediately attack one of us!"

Hutch now came over. "Ma'am, I think what Humphrey's trying to say is that maybe we shouldn't be making such a big issue out of this. It's not the proper time."

"Not the proper time? But that's a betrayal of hospitality!" Kate barked. "I'm not going to stand here and see Humphrey attacked and not do anything about it!"

Lilly instinctively ran over to help Justin up. Justin swiped at her with his paw, causing her to jump back. "Don't touch me, filth!" he yelled at her.

He forced himself to his feet and glared at Kate. "How dare you just hit me like that! You southern wolves are such brutes! Here I am, just trying to do my job and you out of the blue jump me! What type of wolf are you!"

"A type who doesn't like it when my people are attacked," Kate shot back.

"I didn't attack you or any of your people," Justin replied, "so there was no reason to attack me!"

"You attacked Humphrey!" Kate yelled.

"And you nearly hit Lilly!" Garth joined in.

Justin sneered. "They're not people, they're Omegas! They don't count!"

Kate pulled back her fist to hit Justin again, but Hutch grabbed her before she could. "Ma'am, I really don't think you should do that!"

"Yeah, Kate, it's just a little misunderstanding," Humphrey said, trying to hide the pain he still felt in his side. "Really, I'm sure we'll all be laughing about it later!"

Kate was, however, not dissuaded. If anything, she was more determined than ever. Hutch tried to hold her back, but he could tell she had inherited her mother's rage-strength and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep her from attacking Justin for long.

"No, ma'am, no!" Hutch pleaded. "Can-do, help me out here!"

"Hit him again, ma'am!" Can-do called out.

"Thanks a lot, Can-do!" Hutch barked back.

But Can-do was soon joined by Claw, Scar, and Edgar in shouting, "Hit him again!" Can-do hoped that Kate pulverizing Justin would avenge Humphrey's injury and thus restore the Western Pack's honor. Claw, Scar, and Edgar did not care about any of that, being Eastern wolves, but just wanted to see a good fight.

Humphrey now looked to the only other wolf he thought might be able to restore Kate's sanity. "Garth," he said, "you gotta help us out here!"

"Why?" Garth asked. "I think Kate should give the northern punk what's coming to him."

But then Lilly nudged his shoulder. "But… I really think you should…." she said quietly. "It's for the best…."

Garth wanted to ask Lilly why she wasn't keen on seeing the wolf who had just nearly smacked her being reduced to a bloody mess, but he knew that once she asked something, he'd feel terrible if he didn't do it. And he did, after all, know that it was ultimately for the best. He quickly placed himself in between Kate and Justin.

"Kate," he said, "calm down! You're just going to put us into more danger if he decides to call for help from some of his buddies. We're on enemy territory, remember?"

Kate let out a loud growl of frustration and shook her fist. She knew Garth was right. Even though she wanted to teach Justin a further lesson about messing with Humphrey, Garth was right and she'd just be putting her mate in more danger than she'd be saving him from. So she lowered her fist and reluctantly calmed down.

Justin lifted his nose up in disgust. "That's right, you ugly bumpkin, you better leave me alone! I could have you all torn apart with a howl!"

Kate once more got the urge to better acquaint Justin with her fist, but knew that she would just have to suck it up for now. Justin did not even bother to see if his threat had the intended effect but continued straight up the path without looking back. Kate felt that there was no choice but to follow him.

Finally, Justin came to a stop. And now they were on a high cliff not very far from the mountain's peak. From the cliff you could look down over the whole of the large valley on one side and on the other look down upon the large forest which spread out from the mountain range as far as the eye could see. There was a large, dark cave looking out onto the cliff. It was at this cave that Justin now entered.

Kate began to follow.

"Oh right," Humphrey said behind her, "because we're just going to follow him into the big, spooky cave. Because there's no way that there's anything bad waiting for us in there."

"Humphrey, we have no choice," Kate said. "Besides, I'll protect you from the monsters."

She said this last part in such a mocking way that Humphrey felt too embarrassed not to follow her. And so they entered the cave.

There, the found Justin bowing low. And before him, surrounded by large and fearsome bodyguards, was a golden wolf on a large stone, holding in one paw a long wooden stick with a diamond tied to the end. His face was hidden in shadow.

"My dear Justin, what have they done to you?" the golden wolf said.

"Sire," Justin said without looking up. "I was guiding them up the mountain, just like you ordered, when suddenly they jumped me unprovoked! I was just minding my own business when they all came down on me and started pounding and biting and clawing. Especially Kate, who vowed to rip my throat out! But I managed to heroically fight them off."

"Well, what can you expect from savages?" his leader responded.

Kate now impulsively strode forward. "He's lying!" she said. "The only reason I hit him was because he hit Humphrey first! And it was just one time!"

"Silence!" the golden wolf barked. "You dare, when coming into my home, call my most loyal servant a liar? Have you forgotten, Kate, that I am already well-acquainted with your own aversion to honesty?"

Kate looked at the wolves behind her, seeing that each of them was just as confused as she was by this pronouncement. Well, everyone except Edgar.

"Well, he's got you there, Kate!" Edgar said. Claw promptly backhanded him.

"But I've never met you–" Kate began, approaching the golden wolf.

"Bow down!" the golden wolf hollered.

"What?" Kate was now completely confused.

"Bow before your sovereign!"

"My _what?_"

"Bow!"

When it became clear that Kate would not bow, the sneering golden wolf signaled a pawful of his cronies to make her and the rest of the Jasper wolves do so. Two of them grabbed Kate and began to press her down. Others did this to the rest of the wolves.

But when one grabbed Lilly and started to push her down, he received a fist in the face from Garth. Kate had the opportunity she'd been waiting for. She elbowed both wolves and grabbed their shoulders, launching herself up into the air. She came down hard on one's head and used the momentum to propel herself into the second one, delivering a powerful flying dropkick that sent him back into a few of his friends. Garth made short work of the wolves surrounding him and Lilly while Hutch and Can-do played their parts in attacking two other wolves.

"Finally, we get some action around here!" Claw exclaimed.

"Yeah, let's kick some butt," Scar said. "High-three!"

He and Claw high-threed and then proceeded to take out the two wolves targeting them. And now the whole cave erupted into a brawl.

Justin huddled by the golden wolf and his rock. "Again with the fighting!" he complained.

"Southerners are such an uncivilized people," the golden leader said nonchalantly.

At a wall near the entrance, Humphrey, Lilly, and Edgar had gathered to avoid getting caught up in the battle. Edgar looked at the other two and smiled. "So who wants to place bets on who's going to win?"

It was not long before Hutch and Can-do, Claw and Scar were knocked out of the battle by the larger and much more powerful thugs. But Kate and Garth continued to hold their own, picking off the thugs one, two, or even three at a time. Garth was relying on his strength, while Kate was ricocheting off the walls of the cave so fast that she was barely more than a blur. Finally, just as the last enemy standing seemed about to overpower Garth, our red hero used all of his strength to throw the thug off of him, sending the northerner flying straight into the spinning furball that was Kate. She grabbed him with her hind-legs and, with a twirl, threw him hard into a moderately-distant wall.

Kate and Garth, having thus finished up the guards, stood together in 'I'm so cool,' poses in front of the leader.

He was distinctly unimpressed. "You know, if I really wanted to, I could call in a whole army of wolves like that and you'd be dead before you knew it. But let's dispense with the formalities for now."

He then slid off his rock. "Kate, Kate, Kate, long time no see. You wouldn't believe of how long I've dreamed of meeting you again. Payback time for your duplicity has come at last."

"Huh?" Kate said. She then noticed, for the first time, her own portrait – with a number of gashes in her head and chest – placed on one of the back walls. Next to it was the horrible sight of a number of skulls hanging from the wall. A cold chill went through her own body as she just now began to grasp the severity of what she had gotten herself and her pack into.

The golden wolf now stepped out of the shadows. "Remember me, Kate?"

He was handsome wolf, with slender features and a long golden mane that stood up like a crown at the top of his head. His eyes were just the right shade of gold to match his fur. He smiled and glared evilly, as though evil was the most natural thing in the world to him.

Kate gasped. "No, you can't be… you don't seriously mean you're…. Actually, I have no clue who you are. I've never seen you before in my life."

She then looked at the other wolves over her shoulder. "The whole dramatic reveal just kind-of got to me there for a second," she whispered.

The glee on the golden wolf's face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a look of rage. "Don't act so innocent with me, Kate!" he said menacingly. And then he practically hollered the next part, "For surely you remember…. Tarquin!"

"No I don't!" Kate yelled back, imitating the overly-dramatic way he had just announced his own name.

And then Kate felt an incredible pain in her face. She fell to her knees and clutched at her cheek with her paw. She pulled it back to see blood. Tarquin had smacked her with his rod and the diamond tip had cut across her cheek.

"You bow to your sovereign at last!" Tarquin barked triumphantly.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Kate barked back, defiantly rising to her feet. "How are you my sovereign?"

"Because," Tarquin said with a laugh, "I am the Emperor of All Wolves!"

* * *

**Who is this so-called "Emperor of All Wolves?" And what is his supposed connection to Kate?**

**Read on.**


	18. The Emperor of All Wolves

"The Emperor of all Wolves, _really?_" Kate said pointedly. "Somebody's full of themselves."

Tarquin smiled evilly as he walked among the Jasper wolves, twirling his scepter in his hand. "Says the wolf who brought her best Alphas up here just to be humiliated in a bitter and deadly contest! But I see that they are strong and powerful Alphas. This is good. I wouldn't want my boys to be bored while they're crushing them."

Then Tarquin got to the Omegas, Humphrey and Lilly. "Oh, and I see you've brought snacks too!" he said.

But as Tarquin looked at Lilly for the first time, he felt something inside of him. There was a burning in his heart as he had never felt before. It was not love, in as much as Tarquin had corrupted himself to the point where he could love nobody but himself, but it was something as close to it as his cold heart was still capable of feeling. It should not be a surprise that whenever something empty meets with something of fullness, the empty seeks to fill itself up and become full itself. So did Tarquin, upon seeing the goodness, purity, and grace that overflowed from Lilly, desire to fill up the emptiness which evil had left in his own soul by acquiring that goodness and purity for himself. He could not understand that this was what he felt, but it was all the same. Now he began to regret the bargain he had unwittingly struck with the evil sorceress Mallt.

But before he could contemplate this anymore, Kate shouted, "You leave them alone or else!"

Tarquin turned back toward her. "Or else what? Do you forget that I am already fully familiar with your tricks? Did you take me for such a fool the last time we met?"

"How many ways do I have to tell you that I've never seen you before!" Kate protested.

Tarquin laughed. "Oh, don't try your petty lies on me! I know that you're hiding a terrible secret and you don't want any of your friends to know about it!"

Kate bit her lower lip nervously. She did indeed have a terrible secret. But how could Tarquin know about that?

"You see, her face reveals everything!" Tarquin shouted in triumph.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kate tried to lie.

Tarquin was enjoying this game. His smile widened. "Alright. Then, ladies and gentlewolves… and Omegas… let me prove to you how wicked your beloved Kate really is."

"We already know how wicked she is," Edgar interjected. "She's a western wolf after all. And they're all cutthroats and murderers!"

"Silence!" Tarquin barked. When he had calmed down, he continued, "As I was saying, I shall tell you everything about the worst crime Kate ever committed!"

Kate snarled. She could tell that everybody was apprehensive and curious as to this stranger's knowledge. She wanted to do anything – call him a liar, laugh in his face, pretend like he was just making things up. But somehow she couldn't.

"You see, it all began some time ago, when Kate was barely older than a pup," Tarquin began, pacing back and forth with his scepter held behind his back.

Kate could feel that this was the end. Her secret would come out and everybody would know the truth about what happened to her sister. But for the life of her, she still couldn't figure out how Tarquin, who she was sure she had never met before, could know something so personal.

"It was during the annual 'Young Pack Leaders of Canada' conference," Tarquin said, "which was being held that year in the forests where Alberta borders British Columbia. All the future leaders of packs across Canada had been given a two week break from Alpha School so that they could learn the art of inter-pack diplomacy first hand."

"Hey, Garth," Edgar said, "how come you never went to that? I thought you were supposed to be the Eastern pack leader."

"Because," Garth answered, clearly not proud of the memory, "my dad said, and I quote, 'I'm not having my son going on some nature hike with a bunch of weird foreign wolves who pretend like talking is going to solve their problems!'"

As Garth said this, he perfectly imitated his father's cranky voice and mannerisms. He gave such a good impression of Tony that Lilly, Claw, and Scar all smiled a little.

"Would you all just shut up and let me tell my story!" Tarquin hollered. "As I was saying…."

* * *

Tarquin had been quite enjoying himself at the Young Pack Leaders' Conference. He had never been out of his home territory before and had grown bored of bossing around his Alpha School comrades. The conference gave him a whole new group of wolves to boss around.

This was the first year that packs from the Yukon were in attendance at the conference and it filled Tarquin with pride that he was among the first wolves to represent his homeland. This had also made him a friend among another Yukon wolf; Justin, the heir to the Saint-Marc pack. That pack had always been relatively friendly with the Tarquin's own pack, the North Beaufort Pack, but this was the first time him and Justin had a chance to meet.

And Tarquin remembered well the words of his father Tully when he left home. "Those southern packs have no respect for us," his father had said. "They don't count us as real wolves. That is why you have to do your very best to show them how great the wolves of the Yukon are. You are going to be the Beaufort Pack's first representative among the southerners, so you are the guardian of all our honor. You must do whatever necessary to prove the greatness of the northern packs!"

Tarquin wanted to prove himself and had taken these words to heart. So, when he learned that the conference was going to divide the young Alphas-to-be into two teams based on whether they were from more northerly or southerly packs, he knew he had his opportunity. He was certain he could lead his team to victory, but he wanted to make sure that there was no way he could lose. He needed to find someone on the opposing team, a born-leader, who could sabotage the southern effort from within. He knew immediately the wolf for the job.

He had first seen Kate at the beginning of the conference when she arrived with her father, Winston. Kate did not look very happy for some reason.

"Dad," she said, "how come mom didn't come with us to the conference?"

Winston chuckled warmly. "Kate, you know that all the packs signed a treaty prohibiting the others from bringing weapons of mass destruction across pack borders."

"Oh," Kate said quietly. She had wanted to show both of her parents the strong and resourceful Alpha she was becoming. While she was glad to have her father there, at least until the end of the day, she felt like something was missing with her mother not there.

Tarquin had been immediately captivated by Kate, who was the single greatest young Alpha among the southerners and proved to be their natural leader. Her forthright manner and determination to get things done, as well as the stunning moves she showed off during exercise-times, had earned her the respect of all of her comrades. Tarquin knew that if he could turn her, he could win easily.

He discussed this with Justin in their shared cave one night. As they spoke, Tarquin busied himself by dipping his tail in various berry dyes and rubbing it against a piece of bark, creating the beginnings of a painting.

"You and I both know we need to win this so that the southerners will learn to respect the north," Tarquin said.

"I thought the instructors said that this isn't about winning and losing, but coming to compromise on the important issues affecting all wolves," Justin answered.

"Everything is about winning and losing," Tarquin shot back. "And the only way anyone can ever accomplish something is by defeating somebody else."

"I always thought so myself," Justin answered skillfully. "I was just testing you to see if you really felt the same way."

Tarquin continued. "While I don't doubt that we northerners are so much more in all things than those southerners, I still think it would pay to have all of our bases covered. That's why I want to try and get one of them to work with us. They'll be our spy and saboteur in the enemy camp."

"That is a perfect plan," Justin answered, "but who are you going to get?"

"Well, as it seems to me, that Jasper wolf, Kate, would be the best," Tarquin explained. "The other wolves follow her like she was their own mother. If we had her on our side, no one would be able to stop us."

"An excellent idea!"

"But one thing troubles me. I fear that Kate won't be so easily swayed. She does seem like a strong leader and not the type to go for easy bribes."

Justin laughed. "It is clear, my friend, that you've never dated, since you don't understand the heart of a female! They are easily charmed and easily betray anyone, and I should know!"

"You've dated a lot of females, then?" Tarquin said incredulously.

"Um, well, no," Justin said, "because… because I'm too smart for that! Yeah, that's it!" And then he tapped his own head as though to show off his supposed brain-power.

"Okay, well what should I do?" Tarquin asked.

"Simple, you just have to sweet-talk her," Justin said. "Flatter her and make her think that our side admires her much more than the other one. Then she'll beg us to let her come over!"

Tarquin clapped his paws together at the plan. Together, he and Justin smiled at his unfinished painting. All that was done was the face of Kate.

Tarquin approached Kate during exercise-time. The tan she-wolf was busy pressing a large log. She did not usually care for this style of exercise, since it did not give her the same adrenaline rush that aerial aerobics did, but she was short on time and needed to keep up her strength. As Tarquin came up beside her, she looked to be intensely focused on it.

He wondered what to say. Like so many males, the normally aggressive and self-confident Tarquin tended to become terribly shy when in the presence of a pretty girl. He looked over his shoulder to see Justin signaling for him to get on with it. Readying his nerves, Tarquin turned back to Kate.

"So, did you hear about the Central Saskatchewan Pack?" he asked shyly. "They're messed-up freaks, yeah?"

Kate did not answer. Under her breath, she was counting her presses and did not seem to have heard the comment.

"Okay, well, the thing is," Tarquin continued, now even more nervous due to Kate's unintentional cold-shoulder, "me and my friend Justin – that's him over there – we've been watching you for a while. I mean, not in a creepy stalker way or anything, but we just liked how you deal with the other southerners. We were so impressed that we thought maybe you'd, you know, think about helping out the other side every so often?"

Kate still did not answer. She just kept pressing.

Tarquin began to think that he misspoke. "I mean, what I mean is that I mean just some friendly advice. No cheating or anything – well, maybe just a small bending of the rules here and there – but nothing that would compromise you or your honor. Really, it's just kinda something small."

Again, no answer.

Tarquin was by now feeling incredibly miserable and starting to lose his patience. "Would you just talk to me already?" he pleaded.

At this moment, Kate shouted, "One-hundred! Woohoo!" And with incredible speed, she stood up to her full height and tossed the log up high into the air.

Unluckily for Tarquin, he happened to be standing where the log came down. It flattened him against the ground and knocked the air out of his lungs.

Kate, feeling good after completing the exercise, looked around. "Hello, is anybody there? You can talk to me now if you like."

Tarquin was still catching his breath under the weight of the log and could not respond.

"Huh, I could have sworn there was somebody here," Kate said as she began to walk away. "Must have just been my imagination."

Justin came over after she had left. "How did it go?" he asked.

"Take a guess," Tarquin said, finally managing to roll the large log off of himself.

* * *

Tarquin sat inside the den, busy painting away at his portrait. Justin stood, looking out of the cave.

"Okay, she's down there on the field again," Justin said.

Tarquin nodded, pleased. "Almost done here. Then everything will be ready."

As soon as Tarquin had recovered enough from being dropped by a log, Justin had given some more advice on how to get Kate's attention. "Girls go all crazy if you get them gifts. Just get her something nice and she'll agree to do anything," Justin had said.

"Oh, so it's just like a bribe," Tarquin had answered, trying to relate the advice to something he understood.

"Yeah, I guess," Justin had answered, not sure if Tarquin really grasped what he was saying.

Tarquin grinned mischievously. "Excellent. I already have the perfect present in mind."

Now he was almost finished. He was just putting the finishing touches on what was actually a very good likeness of Kate. Tarquin was rather well-known in the Klondike for his painting skills and he was certain that Kate would be amazed at what he had done.

When he was finished, Tarquin had Justin help him carry the portrait down to the field.

"Now," he said. "You get her attention and then I'll hold up the portrait. That will be perfect. She'll be willing to do anything after that!"

Meanwhile, Kate was standing around talking with a few she-wolves from British Columbia. Kate had recently shown off some of her most complex acrobatic maneuvers and these particular she-wolves had been very impressed, not to mention more than a little jealous. Since then, they delighted in challenging Kate to even more difficult and dangerous stunts, wondering if anything could actually stop her. Currently, one of them pointed to a very high pine-cone at the top of an otherwise branchless and needless tree.

"Betcha can't get all the way up there!" she said in a tone of friendly challenge.

Kate looked at it and smiled confidently. "Betcha a leg of caribou I can!"

The B.C. wolves just looked at each other cockily. They figured that they had finally found something which even 'Kate the Great' could not do.

This did not bother Kate – she just thought of the satisfaction she would get from seeing their faces when she succeeded. She revved herself up and took off in the opposite direction, planning to ricochet off the nearest large object.

At the other end of the clearing, Tarquin and Justin were ready. As Kate came running toward them, Justin called out her name.

"It worked!" he said immediately. "She's coming! Hurry, get the picture ready!"

Tarquin held up the portrait in front of his own face, thinking to himself of how favorable he was sure Kate's reaction would be.

Kate sped onward and onward. As usual at these times, she got a sort of tunnel-vision and did not see or hear anything other than what she needed to get the job done. But now she saw something right in her field of vision. She was going too fast to make out what it was. But from what she could tell, it seemed like the perfect surface to bounce off of….

Kate leapt high into the air and came down with great force on the portrait, kicking back off and up toward the tree immediately. With a few stunning twirls, she managed to propel herself high enough to just grasp the pinecone in her jaws. Then she slid down the tree, managing to slow herself just enough to land safely upon the ground. She dropped the pinecone at the other she-wolves' feet and smiled proudly as their jaws dropped.

As for Tarquin, Kate's leap onto his portrait and subsequent kicking off had the effect of a freight train. He was sent flying backward into the nearest cliff-wall, sandwiched between portrait and rock. Slowly, he managed to push the portrait out of his face and force himself back to his feet. Then he wiped his paw against his mouth, having felt some blood begin to trickle out. He was growing tired of this.

"I think you might have gotten through to her this time," Justin said as he came over.

Tarquin just growled at him. He was not going to take this anymore.

* * *

"I'm not so sure about this one," Justin said as he helped Tarquin put the finishing touches on their trap. "I mean, this one could end up pretty dangerous. Somebody could be killed."

"Don't worry," Tarquin said with a sinister smirk. "This is my perfect opportunity. Once I save Kate's life, she'll have to do whatever I want."

The southern team had been taken the lead over the northern team in discussions – thought officially there were no winners and losers – and Tarquin felt the pressure to do something before the north was completely humiliated. He knew Kate often came down this path on solitary walks. He had secretly followed her and knew her usual path exactly. There was a log bridge over a small ravine along the path, and this had given Tarquin his idea.

With Justin, he had partially cut the log so that, when Kate walked over it, it would collapse and she would be sent falling toward the jagged rocks below. And then Tarquin, lying in wait, would leap out and catch her before she fell, thereby saving her life and earning her eternal gratitude. It was a full-proof plan as far as Tarquin could see.

"Besides, even if it doesn't work," Tarquin reasoned, "she'll be dead so it's not like we'll be figured out and the south will have lost its best leader. It's called a win-win situation."

Justin still did not feel comfortable. "But I still think it turn out really ba–"

Tarquin's ears perked up as he heard somebody coming. He quickly shushed Justin and signaled for him to hide.. Both scurried out of the path and behind a large rock. Tarquin peered out eagerly, waiting for Kate to arrive.

Arrive Kate did, but not alone. Tarquin grew angry as he saw one of those British Columbian wolves following her. From what Tarquin could make out, they were discussing their strategy for the next day's series of debates. While this would normally be a golden opportunity to learn their opponents' plans, Tarquin knew that somehow this other she-wolf was going to complicate matters somehow.

By the time they reached the log-bridge, Kate had gotten a little ahead of the other wolf and was calling back her response to the other wolf's suggestions. Tarquin smiled, hoping that Kate would cross the log-bridge first and thus his plan would still come into fruition. And cross first Kate did.

But she was walking at a rather brisk pace and, to Tarquin's horror, managed to cross the bridge before it even had a chance to give out.

"I knew we should have cut it completely," Justin said beside him.

Tarquin took a moment to smack Justin in the back of the head before turning his gaze back on the proceedings. What he saw horrified him even more. The British Columbian wolf was crossing now, in her slow way, and the bridge began to give out.

Not that Tarquin particularly cared about this wolf's life, but he knew if she died, his clever plan would be completely ruined. So, he ran out from behind his rock, intent on saving her, hoping that maybe that would somehow win Kate's admiration.

But Kate, the moment she heard her friend's screams, turned to bridge in terror. She felt like things were playing in slow motion as her friend fell, screaming her name.

"No, not again," Kate said under her breath. "Never again!"

And before Tarquin could even reach the ravine, Kate had leapt from the ledge and grabbed onto her friend. Twirling her body to the nearest non-sharp-and-pointy rock, she kicked off and launched them both back to safety.

Tarquin now realized that all of his difficult planning was ruined. He pounded the ground. "No!" he shouted. "I put so much work into that cutting that log! Why did you have to ruin it, you cow! It wasn't meant for you to set it off!"

He paused when he noticed that now both she-wolves were staring at him in surprise. He thought he could hear Justin letting out a panicked groan behind him.

"Did I just say that out loud?" Tarquin asked nervously.

"You cut the log-bridge?" Kate asked. "But why?"

Tarquin did the best smile he could, trying to act innocent and come up with an excuse. "Well, um, you see, I was… It's actually really funny because…. The thing is…. I gotta run!"

Tarquin had been lucky. Kate was too busy helping her friend to stop him when he dashed off. But he knew his early lead would not last. He had to get out of here quickly. He collected up his things and his portrait and prepared to make his escape. But just as he was about to go, he heard voices outside of the den.

"Are you sure it was Tarquin?" asked a much older, official-sounding voice; one of the administrators of the conference. "After all, Kate couldn't say who it was."

"Her mind was still on making sure I was okay, so she wasn't paying that much attention," said the voice of the she-wolf who had fallen through the bridge earlier. "But I saw him clearly. It's Tarquin."

Tarquin knew he was in trouble. He would not have much time to escape. The only thing he figured he could do was make a mad dash for safety. He charged out of the den.

"Tarquin, you've got something to answer for!" shouted the old administrator. "This is going to get you expelled from Alpha-school and cost you your Alpha-status when it gets back to your father!"

Tarquin did not bother to stop. He heard them quickly pursuing him. He did not look back. He had to escape. He was running along the cliffs and had hoped that his pursuers would be too afraid to follow. But he heard them closing in, getting closer and closer with every step. It did not look like he was going to make it very far. He began to panic. He did not think he could escape this time. And then, he felt his paw hit air instead of rock. Before he could regain his footing, his momentum sent him toppling over the cliff.

Tarquin most surely would have died there, and the world would have been better off, had he not possessed something relatively resembling cleverness. He was still holding onto the portrait of Kate and he quickly put it under him, managing to slide down the rock face on the portrait rather than falling against it with his body. It was still a painful ride, but by the time he reached the bottom, he was still alive.

Tarquin realized quickly that he was not dead. However, the relief this brought was soon replaced with anger as it hit him that his life was now ruined. Slowly forcing himself up, though he couldn't see much point to it, he cursed his misfortune and pounded the rock-face. Much to Tarquin's surprise, a few small rocks fell from the rock-face and revealed something large and shiny.

Tarquin grabbed at it and pulled with all his might. It was hard to pry loose and it took him several minutes to release it. But when he did, his eyes sparkled and his jaw dropped. It was the largest diamond he had ever seen in his life.

* * *

Tarquin now tapped his paw against the diamond at the tip of his scepter. He had just returned to his throne. "And that was when I knew that my life wasn't over. Despite Kate's best attempts to ruin it. No, I still had a grand destiny before me. This proved it, this proved that I was meant to be more than a normal wolf. It proved that I had been selected by Providence to be nothing less than the Emperor of All Wolves!"

"I bet it's a fake!" Edgar said. "No way you'd find a diamond that big in British Columbia!"

"What is this thing which keeps interrupting me?" Tarquin asked.

"Don't ask," Kate said. "Just don't ask."

"I mean, is it an Alpha or an Omega?" Tarquin said.

"It's complicated," Garth answered.

"Of course I'm an Alpha!" Edgar said. "You think Miss Kate and Garth could do anything without me? Why, I taught them everything they know!"

"Then I'll be sure to devise an extra-painful death for you," Tarquin muttered.

Edgar gave him a smug smile, obviously quite proud of himself. "I wouldn't expect anything less," he said happily.

"Wait, wait, you never taught me anything!" Kate yelled at him. "I didn't even know you existed until that thing with Lilith!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Kate," Edgar said smugly.

"And the only thing you ever taught me was how to sneak into the girls' den at Alpha School!" Garth added.

Then he noticed that Lilly was giving him an uncharacteristically sharp glare. He smiled bashfully. "Not that I ever actually did it, mind you," he said unconvincingly.

"Sure you did, Garth," Edgar said. "Remember that one time when we–"

Garth whacked him in the head to get him to shut up. This did not work.

"What?" Edgar said. "What's so bad about it? I mean, I saw Claw in there one time, so I think all the boys were doing it."

"I was in there because _I am a girl!_" Claw shouted.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," Edgar said nonchalantly. "It's just so hard to remember because you look like a guy."

Claw screamed and grabbed Edgar's throat, intent on choking the life out of him. Garth desperately tried to maintain some order by pulling Claw off of him, but she was so determined that even all of Garth's strength could not get her to let go.

"Miss… Lilly… help… me!" Edgar managed to choke out.

Just as Lilly cleared her throat to speak, Claw got the message and let Edgar go. She then went to sulk next to Scar.

Tarquin was flabbergasted as he watched all of this. "Does this kind of thing happen often in Jasper?" he asked.

"All… the… time!" Kate answered with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, I'm glad that you have had to suffer for what you did," Tarquin said. "It almost makes me willing to let you go."

There was a brief moment of relief among our heroes, but then Tarquin said, "Almost."

He chuckled. "I go through all this trouble to lure my hated arch-enemies to a final grand and deadly contest, and it turns out they're a collection of buffoons!"

"You know what," Kate began, about to give Tarquin a peace of her mind.

"Shut up!" Tarquin hollered. "I'm not done with my story yet!"

* * *

With Justin's help, Tarquin had managed to make his way back to the Klondike and to his own home valley. He hoped his father would be happy to see him, considering that he was not dead. But his father was most assuredly not happy.

"How could you do something like this?" Tully shouted in their den after Tarquin had turned up. "You nearly get another wolf killed – intentionally – made it so that I'll have to expel you from our Alpha School and make you an Omega for the rest of your life, and brought lasting shame on our pack, the Klondike, and the whole of the Yukon!"

"You told me that I had to prove that we were real wolves," Tarquin said quietly, avoiding his father's gaze. He had come home to a hero's welcome, because his father had told the pack he had died in an accident rather than face the disgrace of the truth. This had caused Tarquin to hope his father was not angry with him. He had just been proven wrong.

"Not like this," Tully chided. "There's no honor in doing it like this."

"Well, we don't have to listen to them," Tarquin said. "I can stay an Alpha and if anybody doesn't like it, we can destroy them!"

"That's not the point!" Tully hollered, angrier than Tarquin had ever seen him. "That is not the way we do things! We are a proud and ancient people, not a band of thugs! I'm just thankful that your mother isn't around to see what her son has become!"

Tarquin hid his face in shame. Tully turned away from him and looked out of their den, surveying the valley below. "I had such hopes for you," the old wolf said. "You were the only heir I had. And to think, Franklin and I were going to unite the North and South Beaufort Packs by having you marry Rosaline. That will never happen now. I guess I should have a general meeting of both packs and explain everything you did and how you won't be leading us into the future."

Tarquin's eyes honed in on his father when he said this. The fires of rage burst within them. He gripped tightly the diamond, which he was still holding in one paw at just such an angle that his father could not see it.

"I'm going to have to tell everyone about your crimes – and the fact that you're now an Omega – and let justice take its course," Tully said without looking back toward his son.

His world promptly went black as he fell to the floor. Tarquin stood over his father, smiling wickedly and proudly clutch the diamond, which was now partially covered in his father's blood.

Tarquin found it fortunate that it already nearing evening, because there were now few wolves out of their dens and he could move around unseen. With his father on his back, he headed to a certain part of the territory in which there was a large and long gorge, so deep that, looking into it, all anyone could see was darkness. Tarquin lowered the front half of his body and let his father fall from his back and into the gorge below.

The next day, Tarquin gave a speech to his pack, saying that his father had been kidnapped and assassinated during the night. The culprits, he said, were the wolves of the South Beaufort Pack who, despite claiming that they wanted to unite with them, in reality just wanted to destroy the northerners.

"This valley isn't big enough for the both of us," Tarquin proclaimed in his first act as the new pack leader, "and we have to destroy them before they destroy us!"

Tarquin knew that the packs were too evenly-matched for one to easily defeat the other in open battle. But he had a plan. He negotiated to speed up the wedding with Rosaline, saying that with his father missing, it was vital that the packs be united immediately. He also said that, for security reasons, they should have the wedding at a secluded pass in the mountains and that there should only be a few wolves from each pack in attendance.

The day came and Tarquin met the leaders of the southern pack in the pass. Franklin, a proud silver-grey wolf had come with his daughter Rosaline, a strong and beautiful, a fiery red wolf. They were practically alone, only a scrawny maroon Omega accompanied them. Tarquin smiled inwardly knowing that his plan had worked perfectly.

Rosaline approached Tarquin. He had to admit that she was very beautiful, perhaps as beautiful as Kate, especially with the rose by her ear. She seemed uncharacteristically nervous. She smiled shyly and appeared to have difficulty speaking. Finally, she said, "D-d-do you want to start, or… or should I?"

Tarquin smiled coolly. "I will."

Rosaline seemed somewhat relieved, though not much. Tarquin walked up close to her and looked her up and down. He was ready to begin.

"Teeth and claws out!" he shouted. "Kill them all!"

The South Beaufort wolves looked in panic as countless northerners came leaping out of caves in the high mountains surrounding the pass as though they were a hive of insects. Tarquin had chosen this pass specifically because he knew it would be easy to conceal his warriors. And now they all flooded into the pass and piled onto the southerners, who were all too stunned and terrified to do anything. Soon, they had disappeared completely under the inexorable wave of Tarquin's army.

* * *

Tarquin laughed as he remembered this. "The fools never stood a chance! Then after that, the southern pack was in complete disarray without their leaders. It was a piece of caribou to exterminate them! That's Franklin's skull over there. And there's the one of dear Rosaline right beside it."

Kate cringed as she looked at them. So did Humphrey. Garth quickly threw his paws over Lilly's eyes so that she would not see. Edgar was generally indifferent.

"And then," Tarquin continued, "I thought of how, if I had gained such power over this whole valley, how much more would I gain if I conquered the whole of the Yukon! And then once I had such power, I could annihilate the one who nearly annihilated me: Kate!"

Nobody knew quite how to respond. Kate was the first to speak up, "So, you decided to kill your own father, destroy an ally pack, and then conquer the whole Yukon just because I didn't _talk to you _at the Young Pack Leader's Conference?"

"And because you got me nearly killed, you got me expelled from Alpha School, you nearly cost me the leadership of my pack, and–"

"She made you an Omega!" Edgar added, thinking he was being helpful.

"Don't call me that!" Tarquin bellowed. "Don't you ever call _me_ by that disgusting term!"

Humphrey now spoke up, "But, um, if you were kicked out of Alpha School before becoming an official Alpha, doesn't that make you an Omega by default?"

"Don't try your loaded rhetoric on me, filth!" Tarquin snapped. "I have too much dignity to ever be an Omega!"

Then he grinned evilly as he focused on Kate. "Or to marry one…."

"I'd rather marry an Omega that be stuck with a maniac like you!" Kate responded.

Tarquin shook his head. "At least I have ambition! Because the Yukon's just the beginning…."

He then pointed to another painting, one the Jasper wolves had not been able to see until now; this one was a map of Canada. Over it was written the words, "My Empire." Our heroes noted ominously that the only part of Canada not so included was Jasper Park – and that was because there was a giant hole torn out where Jasper should have been.

"Okay, that makes sense," Humphrey quipped. "I mean, whenever somebody snubs me, I always get back at them by conquering all of Canada."

"Yes, mock me, insignificant cur, if makes you feel better," Tarquin said, "because once I destroy all of you, then I shall march my massive army south and burn Jasper Park to the ground, killing every wolf, every human, and every single living thing within it! And then, without the 'heroic' Jasper wolves to serve as an example, all the other packs of Canada shall have no choice but to surrender to me!"

The Jasper wolves were stunned into complete, wide-eyed silence by this pronouncement. Well, all but two of them.

"Who even spends the time thinking up stuff like that?" Can-do said, having now found the perfect moment to insert his gruff self into the conversation. "Really, who even thinks 'Gee, wouldn't it be great if I was Emperor of Canada?' Give me a break!"

Hutch quickly shushed him, but to no avail, because now Edgar had a chance to enter the conversation.

"You're right there, Can-do," the rusty wolf said. "Somebody needs a girlfriend, I think! Speaking of which, did everybody know Claw's a girl?"

Claw quickly backpawed him.

"Who would even want to rule over all the packs in Canada, anyway?" Can-do continued, having not had a chance to give a good long rant in a while. "They're all just inferior versions of us, anyway!"

"We shall see who is inferior!" Tarquin shouted. "We shall see indeed, little tiny wolf. Tomorrow shall be our first challenge!"

"Tomorrow, but we haven't even decided on what the contest is going to be yet!" Kate protested.

"What? I already decided a long time ago," Tarquin said snidely, "but I guess I need to spell it out for you with your tiny brains. Fine, here's what we're going to do. Every day, there is going to be a competition between one of you and one of my wolves. Each of them shall involve doing what each of you is famous for."

"Wait, how do you know what we're 'famous' for?" Kate asked, not hiding her contempt for this treatment.

Tarquin smiled mockingly and cleared his throated. At the signal, Benny came scurrying out from behind his throne and into the view of the other wolves.

"You!" Kate and Garth yelled together.

"Gee, look at that," Humphrey said. "I guess I was right about this being a complete set-up the whole time. Who knows, maybe if someone bothered to listen to me every now and then, we wouldn't be in this mess. But I guess since I'm just an Omega…."

"Hey," Hutch whispered, "Can-do and I are Betas and nobody ever listens to us."

"He's right, they don't," Can-do said with a nod.

"Enough!" Tarquin ordered. "As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, each of these contests will involve you facing off against one of my wolves in your specialties. The overall winner will be determined based on who wins the most contests. Naturally, if any wolf of yours loses a contest, they will be put to death."

"What?" Kate shouted. "That's not fair! Even if you want to destroy and humiliate us, that's going over the line! We won't even get a decent chance to survive!"

Tarquin shrugged. "Home team sets the rules. Away team has to play by them. No complaining."

"So, Kate, do you think maybe coming up north into the heart of enemy territory might have been a bad idea after all?" Humphrey quipped.

Kate just growled in frustration. Tarquin smiled in pleasure. He knew that he had gotten to Kate, and that almost felt like reward enough.

Almost. Of course, he would still have to kill her after destroying everything she held dear, but he had to savor every step of the process. He did not want it to end too soon; once your lifelong archenemy is gone, it's not just something you can easily replace.

"And the first challenge is going to involved…." Tarquin paused dramatically before naming his choice. Slowly, he lifted up his scepter and pointed it toward Garth. "Him! It will be a test of strength between your red Alpha and my most powerful warrior."

Lilly quickly threw her forelegs around Garth, as though she would be able to shield him from the coming challenge. He patted her back reassuringly and glared at Tarquin with defiance. "I'll be ready," he said calmly.

"You're going to need to be," Tarquin answered with a vicious grin. "But for now, I have nothing else to say to you. You are all dismissed until tomorrow. Justin and Benny will show you to your caves. We won't be placing guards over them and you can have the freedom of the valley, but if you try to leave, be wary. I will have large numbers of guards posted to each of the mountain passes in case any of you try to escape, and they will show no mercy. Now get out of my sight, vermin!"

Kate was ready to answer these harsh words when Humphrey grabbed her and began pulling her away.

"Save it for when your turn comes," he whispered. "Use that anger to outdo these jerks. No use wasting it until then."

Kate realized how poor their situation was from a strategic perspective and that vain anger would just give Tarquin more enjoyment. She nodded and silently led the way out of Tarquin's den. Can-do, Claw, and Scar had been ready to stand by her if she caused another scene – mostly because the three of them always seemed to be ready for a fight no matter how fearsome the odds – but knew to accept it when both she and Garth left without another word.

Tarquin watched them leave. "Pleasant dreams, Kate," he said, "because nothing else is going to be very pleasant for you now!"

* * *

**Can the Jasper wolves save not only themselves, but all Canada? And shall Garth be able to survive the first challenge of the Yukon?**

**Read on.**


	19. Laws and Dreams

**Hey, everyone. I've got a few announcements to make. This is going to be rather long, but I might as well get them out of the way here.**

**For starters, this is the third new installment of a story I have published today. I've never been able to achieve three chapters for three different stories in one day before.**

**Speaking of my other stories, I thought I'd just announce them here. I've recently completed a crossover between Alpha and Omega and classical mythology that serves as something of a prequel to "Perils of the North" called "Gods of Jasper."**

**Over a week ago, I published two one-shots, "Lilly's Choice" and "Love and Consequences." "Lilly's Choice" has now been followed by what is going to be a much longer sequel, "The Great Year."**

**And finally, if you liked the epic that is "Perils of the North," you might enjoy another epic tale I'm writing, "Wolves in Space." Be sure to check them all out.**

**And there's more stories where those have come from, including the long-awaited sequel to "Only Wolves and Madmen."**

**Finally, I'd like to repeat here a note I posted in "The Great Year." Dancing Lunar Wolves has recently completed his incredible story "Alpha and Omega: The Week After" and is soon to follow it up with another saga in which the main characters travel to meet a deadly foe up north. (Sound familiar at all? ;)) I highly recommend that everybody check out this series of stories which already promises to be one of the most memorable on FanFiction.**

**And finally, I'd like to thank everybody who has read and reviewed this story, the two previous stories in the Lilly Trilogy (Lillogy), "Lilly Saves the Day" and "A Jasper Ghost Story," and any and all of my other stories on here. Thanks for your support. We're nowhere near done yet. **

**So, without further ado, read on:**

* * *

Kate looked around at her temporary home. It was a large enough den, with enough space for all nine wolves to settle comfortably without getting in each other's way. Nor did it seem to be in any other way disadvantageous. In fact, it was exactly the sort of place she would have chosen if she had any say in the matter. Kate was surprised; Tarquin had not apparently chosen the worst possible spot to stick them in. She wondered why this was.

As she thought about it, she looked over at her companions. Garth and Lilly had found an out-of-the-way nook near the entrance and were now quietly settling in. They both quite content to be out of everybody's way and to have a small space to themselves. Kate smiled as she watched them; she could tell Lilly had been a good moderating influence on Garth's boisterous personality.

She turned to the other side of the den, where the Betas were settling themselves in. She watched Claw and Scar walk past as they headed to claim some room at the very back of the cave.

"I don't look like a guy, do I?" Claw asked Scar.

"Well, um…." Scar was fumbling for words.

"I mean, I don't look anything like a guy. Nothing at all, right?" Claw pressed.

"Well, er, the thing is–" Scar smiled sheepishly. "A bit."

Claw promptly whacked him.

"Just a little bit, though!" he pleaded. "You only look sorta like a guy! About 70% or so!"

He received another blow from Claw for his trouble.

Hutch and Can-do had seemed to find places for themselves rather easily, and even Edgar was keeping his peace. Though, naturally, he had claimed the very center of the room for himself. He had walked right over, thrown himself down, and promptly went to sleep. Kate could have removed him but it was just as well; the only leak in the cave was right above the center and was now dripping down on Edgar, who was waving his paw in his sleep to try and swat it off.

"Ah, bees!" he exclaimed as another drop hit him. "Fire! Bees on fire!"

Meanwhile, she and Humphrey had chosen a nice spot in a dark corner of the cave. It was roomy and secluded, making it about as good a place as you could find sharing a den with seven other wolves.

"Ain't this nice?" Humphrey said. "It's just like home. Well, if home were in the middle of a hostile pack that lives to kills and main us!"

"That's not fair," came a voice from outside the cave. Everybody looked in surprise to the entrance. Even Edgar was aroused from his slumber. "Not all of us live to kill you!" the voice said.

Within a moment, two wolves had entered. One, a male, was tall, proud, and strong. His coat was of a light grey color and his eyes were an icy blue. He was clearly muscular and powerful, though he was not as large as Garth and seemed even slightly smaller than Kate. Beside him was a much smaller wolf, female, about Lilly's height and build, but with fur of a reddish-brown ginger color and eyes to match. She had spoken.

"Ginger, I don't think we should be here," said the male. "We could face serious repercussions if the Emperor catches us talking to the likes of _them!_"

Ginger laughed. "Lance, are you an Alpha wolf or a scaredy-cat? Who cares what Tarquin says or thinks? Don't you have any sense of adventure left?"

Lance grimaced at these words. "Sure, but I also have a sense of self-preservation."

"Not to break up this interesting discussion," Humphrey said as he approached them, "but just who are you two?"

Ginger seemed suddenly to be starstruck. "Oh my, one of them's actually talking to me! A Jasper wolf is actually talking – _to me!_ I can't believe it!" she screetched.

"Yeah, it's really something," Lance said with a roll of his eyes.

Kate walked up beside Humphrey. "I'm never going to get used to being famous," she said. "And how did you guys hear about us?"

"Oh, we saw the movie," Ginger said nonchalantly.

"Movie?" All the Jasper wolves (even Lilly) asked together.

"Yeah, there was a movie all about you a while ago," Ginger explained. "That's how everybody knows who you are."

Edgar was the first to speak up from the general dazed silence. "Obviously, it was all about me! I really can't blame them for wanting to immortalize my life on film. I always said I had leading-wolf potential, after all."

Ginger tilted her head sideways. "Actually… you're the only one I don't remember from the movie. I don't think you were even there."

"What? Not even there?" Edgar said. "Don't talk crazy talk! I'm the heart and soul of this pack! Without me, there is no story!"

"It is always so interesting to see the world from your twisted little perspective, Edgar," Humphrey quipped.

Before this line of conversation could continue further, Lance interrupted. "Okay, Ginger, we've seen the famous Jasper wolves. Now you can die happy. Can we go now?"

"There's no need to rush off," Kate said. "We're always happy for the company."

"Yeah, of someone who doesn't want to kill us for a change," Humphrey added.

"What are you guys, anyway," Garth said, now entering the conversation. "Alphas or Omegas?"

"Well, I'm an Alpha and Ginger here's an Omega," Lance said. But as soon as he had said this, he lowered his head and his mouth curved into a frown.

Seeing what was happening, Ginger finished the statement for him. "That was before Tarquin took over. He changed things. Now, to be an Alpha, you had to do his dirty work and if you weren't willing to kill and steal at his command, you were automatically an Omega.. He brought in the worst thugs from all of northern Canada and made them his Alphas to do his bidding. The rest of us, except for traitors like Benny, became Omegas who have to spend our time raising new statues of him and things like that."

Humphrey, as an Omega, naturally did not like what he was hearing. "So, basically, what you're telling us is that Omegas are _slaves?_"

"Just the way I always said it should be!" Edgar interjected.

"You know, if that were true, you'd be a slave now too, right?" Humphrey responded.

"Yes, Omegas are slaves," Lance said, ignoring these outbursts, "and, when the caribou supply gets low, an alternate source of food."

"Tarquin is evil!" Kate barked. "I can't believe the things he's putting you through! We've got to stop him!"

"Yeah, anybody who's into painting has to be stopped!" Can-do added. "I always said that any wannabe Van Gogh is just looking for a chance at world-domination."

"Is it just me," Garth said, "or has this trip made him even more foul-tempered than usual?"

"Well, he's got a point," Humphrey said. "Where does a wolf even learn painting, anyway?"

Humphrey realized that he had said something wrong when he noticed all the Alphas in the room exchanging knowing looks and chuckling under their breath. Even Kate seemed to be getting in on the act.

"Well, I always like to get laughs from my audience," Humphrey said, "but usually I like to know what the joke was in the first place."

Kate shook her head as she tried to stop laughing. She wanted to explain but just could not. Every time she opened her mouth, more laughter came out.

So Garth took the opportunity to clear things up. "It was an Alpha School elective, Humphrey."

"Alpha School _electives?_" Humphrey asked incredulously, unable to believe that Garth was not just pulling his leg to get back at him for one of his many pranks.

"Yeah," Garth said, "all of us Alphas had to take one class that had absolutely no use in being an Alpha wolf whatsoever just so we could, ahem, 'broaden our minds.'"

Humphrey tilted his head from one side to the other, still trying to figure out if Garth was being serious. "Oh, really?" he said as he turned to Kate. "Okay, well, Kate, what was your elective?"

"Organic chemistry," Kate responded matter-of-factly.

"That… explains a lot, actually,"***** Humphrey said, still trying to wrap his mind around it. He turned back to Garth. "And what was your elective, Garth?"

"Business accounting," Garth responded as he looked away bashfully. He did not seem very proud of the fact.

"I don't know why you don't brag about that more, Garth," Humphrey teased. "I mean, what wolf wouldn't want to be able to be a business accountant in the middle of the wilderness?"

"Hey, don't mock him," Edgar said. "There ain't a wolf in Canada who can balance a checkbook like Garth can!"

"There isn't a wolf in Canada who would want to," Humphrey shot back.

"I don't know," Edgar said, "if I knew how to do it, I might not have ended up in so much debt to Sweets and Candy."

Before they could say more, Kate stepped in between them and put her paws on Ginger and Lance's shoulders. As much as she was growing to enjoy Humphrey and Edgar's exchanges of barbs, there were more important things right now. "Don't worry," said she to the two northerners, "you won't have to live under Tarquin's tyranny for much longer. We're going to take care of him before we leave. That's a promise."

For the first time, Kate felt that she had a moral mission here in the Klondike beyond just satisfying her own pride and her pack's honor. She knew that she had to help the wolves of the Yukon, to somehow save them from the tyrant who oppressed them. It was a promise she intended to keep.

However, it was also one the weighed heavily on her mind. For that night, she had another dream.

In this dream, she was young again. It was not too long after Melanie had died. The funeral had occurred but a day or so before, and neither Kate nor Lilly were allowed to attend; one because it was felt it would be too traumatic, the other because it was seen as improper for a murderess to attend her victim's funeral. But today was not a day for mourning, it was a day for justice. Today, Winston and Eve had called a general meeting of the Western Pack to explain how their daughter had died. They had brought Kate and Lilly along this time; Kate to be praised and Lilly to be blamed.

"In an unfortunate turn of events," Winston said slowly, almost fumbling over every word, "our beloved daughter Melanie was killed tragically, as you all now. Our Kate here tried bravely to save her but, in the end, even she could not do it. The fault and blame for this senseless accident falls upon Melanie's other sister. Lilly was the cause of it and Lilly is fully responsible."

A collective gasp filled the western half of the valley as all the wolves looked to one another and then to the accused Lilly sitting in the middle of the circle before them. Lilly was oblivious to what was going on around her, being preoccupied playing with a caterpillar she had found in the grass. She had not even been listening to her parents and Kate could not help but wish she had the same blissful ignorance. Truly, in this case, it was folly to be wise. But Kate was wise to what was happening, so she just stood beside her sister and watched the white wolf with concern.

"Kill her!" shouted one of the adult wolves.

"Leave her out in the wilderness to die!" bellowed another. "Like we shoulda done in the first place!"

"A white wolf is a curse on our pack! Death to the white wolf!" yelled a third.

Lilly remembered these jeers. They were just like the ones which she had received from her "friends" the day Melanie died. She knew they were directed at her and that they could only mean bad things. Lilly forgot all about the caterpillar which was currently crawling along the top of her paw, and grabbed onto Kate's foreleg, cowering in mortal terror under her shoulder.

"We should never have let her live!" hollered a wolf, which just caused Lilly to shiver and shake more. She began to whimper.

Kate reached her foreleg around Lilly's back and pulled her into a hug. "Everything's going to be okay, Lilly," she said. "We won't let them do anything to you." She could not help but feel guilty, knowing that it was she and not Lilly who deserved to go through this. But what could she do now?

Her words seemed to calm Lilly down a little, despite the fact that the angry shouts kept escalating.

"Quiet, quiet," Winston commanded. "We are not going to kill Lilly for something she did accidentally. But you all know the laws of our pack. Lilly cannot ever be an Alpha now; she will spend all of her life as an Omega. I think that is punishment enough. Kate shall be the one to succeed us as Head Alpha and leader of the Western Pack."

There were a number of polite, and relieved, yaps of agreement at the announcement that Kate would be the future leader of the pack. Kate had always been the most popular choice of the three sisters among the elder wolves to succeed Winston and Eve. Now those same wolves were relieved that this tragedy had at least allowed their favorite to become the sole successor.

However, the general anger against Lilly was far from abated. For now a strong-looking black and grey wolf ran into the circle, charging straight toward Lilly. As he approached, he lifted up a claw to strike.

Lilly screamed and hid her face under her paws. Kate jumped in front of her, ready to take the blow for her sister. It was the least she could do, since she was also the cause of the blow in the first place.

But before the blow could come, Eve's voice shouted out, "Stop!"

"No offense, ma'am, but the white wolf will destroy us if we let her live," the attacker said. "I know she's your daughter, but she must die. There will never be peace in Jasper as long as she lives."

He then turned back to the two girls. "Get out of the way, Kate," he ordered.

"Please, Kate, don't do it," Lilly pleaded. "Please don't leave me!"

"I'll never leave you!" Kate proclaimed.

"And I'll never leave either of you," Eve said as she stepped out in front of her daughters. Turning to the other wolf, she said, "Now, go back to the edge of the circle where you belong or face the consequences."

He shook his head. "Again, no offense, ma'am, but I have to do this for the good of the pack. And, just as an aside, I don't really think you could stand up to me."

"We'll see about that," Eve said with a wicked smile. It was not long afterward that this wolf, his body bloodied and beaten, was sent flying past the edge of the circle. After that, no one dared question Winston and Eve's choice to keep Lilly alive.

Now the meeting was over and Kate was out walking by herself. She needed time to think. She saw clearly the damage her lie was causing to Lilly's life and how it had nearly cost Lilly her life. Kate shuttered at the thought of Lilly facing another attack like that when there was nobody around to defend her. It was something she had to force from her mind because it was too horrible to consider. Yet it might happen again.

But what could she do now?

As she was thinking these things over, Kate suddenly heard a voice calling behind her. She turned to see a white and grey wolf pup approaching her, a scampering little youth with large blue eyes. Kate had seen him before in the crowd of Omega families but had never actually met him.

"Hey, Kate!" he said as he got up to her. "I just wanted to tell you that I was really impressed with the way you stood up for your sister today. That was the bravest thing I've ever seen!"

"Oh, thanks, uh…" Kate tried to remember if she ever heard this wolf's name before, but she could not recall having done so.

So he supplied it himself. "Humphrey. My name's Humphrey."

Kate smiled for the first time in days. "Well, thanks, Humphrey. I needed a compliment like that."

Humphrey smiled a huge smile. "You're welcome! But I don't think you need anything! Everybody says you're the type of wolf who always does the right thing no matter the consequences. I've always kinda looked up to you for that."

Kate's smile suddenly became uneasy. She felt her stomach drop twenty feet inside her. Here was this wolf, who she had to admit seemed funny and cute, complimenting her for something which she no longer deserved. She had done something very bad and realized that it hurt much more to be admired while concealing a hidden truth than whatever consequences would come from revealing it to the world.

She knew what she had to do now.

"Gee, that's nice of you to say, Humphrey," Kate said, trying not to let on that something was the matter, "but I gotta get home. My mom won't like that I'm missing! See you around again soon!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she darted off, back to her family den. Humphrey watched her go and sighed, his eyes downcast toward his feet. "Well, Humphrey, you really blew it," he said to himself. "She'll never fall in love with you now! Nice going, you chump!"

Feeling embarrassed and humiliated, he turned and slowly headed home to his own den, thinking about the relationship he was sure would never exist between him and Kate.

Kate rushed up the path to her den. She saw her parents standing on the cliff and heard them talking about what they were going to do with Lilly.

"You know, there's a perfectly lovely pack in the east that my sister joined for a while," Eve said. "We could send her to stay there. Hopefully, we won't have to tell them what she's done."

Winston shook his head. "I thought they were in Manitoba. That's a bit too far. Can't we find someplace closer to home?"

"No, mom and dad, don't send her away!" Kate shouted as she came to a death halt. "Lilly didn't kill Melanie! She didn't do it!"

"Kate, what are you talking about?" Winston said, completely confused by his daughter's words.

"Lilly didn't kill Melanie!" Kate repeated. "_I did!_"

"What?" both Winston and Eve exclaimed together.

They were both rendered mute for what seemed like ages, but finally Eve smiled in the warm, motherly way only her daughters were accustomed to seeing and spoke. "Now, Kate, I know you want to help out your sister, but telling lies isn't going to do anybody any good."

Kate could not believe that her parents were not taking her seriously. They had always believed anything she said before, but now they did not. And this was the one time she wanted them to believe her more than ever.

"No, it's true!" she yelped, almost beginning to cry. "Lilly couldn't have killed Melanie. She wasn't even there! We ditched her and went to race on the log-bridge! I got over first and then I didn't want Melanie to match my time, so I shook the log-bridge to make her slow down! I didn't know it was going to turn over completely! I really didn't!"

Now Kate broke down into tears. She had admitted everything. She felt like it did not matter how her parents responded. She had told the truth and hopefully saved Lilly's life. But she had to admit, it was taking her parents a long time to respond.

Both were stunned into silence by the revelation. Winston was the first to speak, as sternly as he could but still betraying a hint of confused panic in his voice. "Kate, if this is true, why didn't you tell us this immediately? Why did you blame everything on Lilly?"

"Because," Kate said between sobs, "you… were always… so proud of me…. I was afraid… to tell you… the truth…. I didn't… realize… what it would do… to Lilly…."

It was a few more moments before her parents responded again. Winston was the one to speak. "I see," he said solemnly. "Your mother and I need to discuss this. Go inside and take a nap with Lilly until we have reached a decision."

Kate was apprehensive about what they would decide but the tone in Winston's voice told her that this was not the time to be questioning his commands. She quickly retired into the den, where she found Lilly slumbering peacefully as though the day's events – or those of the last several days – had never occurred. Kate curled up beside Lilly and pretended to sleep. But in reality she was not sleeping; she was listening to her parents' words.

"Winston, what do we do?" Eve asked gently.

"I don't know, Eve, I don't know," Winston responded.

"If Lilly is innocent, we can't let her life be ruined," Eve observed, "but what do we do with Kate, then? I never thought I'd have to be making a decision like this."

Winston did not answer immediately, but when he spoke at last, his words were slow and considered. "I think the answer is obvious. What has happened to Lilly is a horrible injustice, but we cannot look at this from that perspective. We have to consider this as regards the good of the pack, which must always come before our feelings as individuals and as family. And, as much as we love Lilly, the truth simply is that she will never be a great pack leader. But Kate has the makings of greatness. She could be the greatest this valley has ever seen."

"Winston, you're not suggesting…."

"Yes, Eve, we have to let everyone keep thinking that Lilly was the cause of Melanie's passing. Kate was born to lead this pack, we see that every day. Our very future, now more than ever, depends on her becoming our leader. But, if we let her take on the guilt, our laws forbid her from ever becoming an Alpha, and thus she could never lead us. And that would be a disaster."

"But, but, this _is_ breaking the laws!"

"Sometimes, the laws must be broken to be upheld. Our hope lies in Kate. We have no hope in Lilly. That is the long and short of it. If we care about our pack's future, we have to do this. It's the only thing we can do."

Eve was silent for a few moments. But when she spoke up, her voice was low and tired. "You're right, of course. It's the only thing we can do. It's what we have to do. Poor Lilly! But if we have to ruin her life to save Kate's, then that's what we have to do. I just don't know how I'm going to be able to look into those lavender eyes ever again after this."

"We'll find a way, Eve, we always find a way," Winston said. But the sound of his voice told Kate that he was not so sure about this himself.

Now Kate was out on the cliff again, trying to keep from meeting her parents' gazes.

"Did you hear everything we said?" Winston asked without apparent emotion.

Kate nodded swiftly without looking up.

"Then you know what our decision is," Eve said, also without apparent emotion.

Kate nodded again.

Winston now put his paw on Kate's shoulder, not in a warm way but not altogether in a harsh manner either. But it caused her to reluctantly look him in the eye, which is just what he needed. "Now, Kate, understand that you can never speak a word to Lilly or to anyone else about what really happened to Melanie. Lilly can never know that she was not the cause of the accident, nor can the rest of the pack. You have a duty not to tell them. And you can never let something like this happen again. Our future depends on it. Do you understand?"

Kate nodded slowly. She understood. She did not like it. But she understood.

And then, suddenly, Kate felt herself growing very warm. Right in front of her eyes, this vision of her childhood burst into all-consuming flames. They devoured everything they touched until there was nothing but a deep blue sky remaining. And in this sky there was the bright golden orb of the sun, so brilliant that Kate almost had to cover her eyes. And there were eight silver stars twinkling around the sun and these were the only stars in the sky. And, as Kate watched these things, she saw something perhaps even more curious. A white dove flew into her vision and seemed to hover in mid-air, as though it was perching itself right above the glorious sun.

And then she heard these words, "Quickly and soon! The new age comes quickly and soon!"

Kate awoke with a start from her dream. She looked around and saw the grey sky outside of her cave and the orange tints of the early sun. It was morning.

But she was soon surprised to see a small dark grey figure standing over her. It was Benny.

"It's time to get up, mongrels," he said. "The Emperor is ready for you to meet your first challenge. I hope the red lug has gotten his beauty sleep. He shall need it today."

Garth quickly jumped up, despite Lilly's attempts to keep him down and safe with her. "Oh, I'm more than ready!" he proclaimed. "I was born ready!"

"Fine," Benny said. "If you're so ready, then what are we waiting for? Everybody, come with me!"

Tarquin and Justin were strolling by the entrance of the valley, where they had decided to meet the Jasper wolves.

"I don't understand," Justin said. "Why did you give them such a comfy den? Why not just stick them in one of the tiny holes we make the Omegas live in?"

Tarquin laughed. "Don't you understand? There was no place else to keep them all where they could all stay together. And it's important that we keep them together… for now. Besides, I want to demonstrate that I am a magnanimous and benevolent monarch who never hesitates to show mercy even to his greatest enem– What is that?"

Tarquin and Justin had now arrived at the spot where the degrading portrait of the Jasper leaders had been installed the day previous. This morning, there were a large number of wolves gathered around it, all of them talking in hushed whispers.

"Out of my way!" Tarquin ordered as he pushed through the crowd, smacking anyone who disobeyed with his scepter. Soon, Justin and he were at the front of the crowd, looking up at the portrait which he had put so much work into.

But now it was different. It had been changed utterly. Instead of the four Jasper leaders, now there was only Tarquin himself hanging by his tail, looking as though he had just gone ten rounds with the boxing world champion and lost. Above him, on the deep blue background, a large golden sun surrounded by eight silver stars looked down approvingly on this scene. A large white dove glided gentle above it. Underneath this portrait, the words "Warmest Welcomes to the Dogs of Jasper" had been covered over and in their place had been written simply, "Quickly and Soon!"

Tarquin and Justin's jaws both dropped. "It must have been that accursed shaman!" Justin said in barely more than a whisper. "But how could he have done it? How could he have gotten into our valley, done this, and escaped unnoticed? Maybe it is true what they say – his powers are not of this world!"

They were so engrossed in this, that they did not notice Benny had arrived with the Jasper wolves.

"What's going on there?" Kate asked.

"None of your business!" Benny snapped.

"But it looks so interesting…." Kate said as she pushed past him. For lack of anything better to do, the other Jasper wolves followed, despite Benny's protests.

Tarquin, in anger, clenched his paws into fists of fury and snarled large enough to display all of his teeth. He bellowed passionately, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"******

Once he had said this, he turned suddenly to see the Jasper wolves approaching him. Tarquin realized immediately that he had made a mistake. His outburst had let them know that Kate was not the only one getting under his skin. But perhaps, with a lie, he could turn this situation to his advantage.

He pointed accusatorily at Kate with his scepter. "You! You did this! Accursed Jasper wolves, I let you into my very home, show you the greatest hospitality, and this is how you repay me? I should have you all gutted on the spot!"

"We didn't do anything to you or your precious picture," Kate countered. "We've been in our den all night and wouldn't even dream of doing something like this."

"Liar!" Tarquin yelled, lying himself. "You have done this, you arrogant cur! You have done this to offend and insult me, because you still think you are so much better than me! I see that you still must be humiliated and humbled, brought low before you see the truth of my superiority. And the humbling begins now, because it is time for your red champion to suffer defeat at the hands of mine!"

Garth stepped forward and smiled cockily, ignoring the worry in Lilly's eyes. "If there's anybody who's going to suffer defeat, it's going to be your champion, buddy!" he boasted. "I'm so sure of it that I'd even let Edgar bet on it! Ha ha!"

Tarquin approached him, twirling his scepter in his paw. He began to smile. "Well, then, my overconfident oafish friend," he said, "_it is on!_"

* * *

*** What he means is that it explains why Kate has such a thorough knowledge of hallucinogens, as she has displayed in my past stories.**

**** Famous words attributed to King Henry II of England which led to the death of St. Thomas Becket. **

* * *

**Garth faces his challenge in our next chapter. How shall he fare?**

**Read on.**


	20. Garth's Challenge

**Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the beginning of the epic contest between the heroic wolves of Jasper and the evil tforces of the Yukon. To properly mark the occasion, we're iproud to introduce a brand-new feature - The Official _Perils of the North_ Yukon Challenge Scoreboard™. At the end of each challenge chapter, the scoreboard will be posted so that you can easily keep track of how many wins each side has and who is winning overall. **

**So sit back, relax, and read on:**

* * *

Tarquin guided them to a hill not too far away. It was a small hill, upon which a deposit of rocks managed to form a large circular platform. So far, a crowd of wolves had gathered around it, waiting for the day's contest to begin.

Garth stepped onto the platform as soon as they arrived. He looked around and smiled cockily. "Okay, so where's this _great champion_ of yours?"

Tarquin pointed with his scepter to the other side of the hill, where a giant black wolf, who looked to be about the size of a bear and about three times as fierce, was lumbering onto the platform.

"He he," Garth said nervously as all the Jasper wolves gazed in amazement. "He's not so… not so big!"

As this monstrosity approached, Garth turned to his comrades to receive their well-wishes. Lilly pulled Garth's face down closer to her and kissed him on the cheek. "Knock his block off, honey!" she said.

Kate, Humphrey, and Garth looked at her in surprise.

She smiled innocently. "But be gentle about it, of course!"

As Garth and the other wolf approached each other, Tarquin stepped between them.

"Now, I want a fair fight," the self-proclaimed Emperor said. "That means know cheating, no illegal moves, no rough-housing, nothing that could fatally injure your adversary. Just good, honest brawling. The first wolf to knock his opponent off the platform is the winner. I'll be acting as the referee of this match and I intend to make sure that neither of you do anything out of line. The first person who does something the least bit underhanded, unsporting, or potentially life-threatening will be disqualified and executed, got it?"

Both Garth and the Klondike wolf nodded in understanding. Then Tarquin began to walk away. As he did so, he leaned in close to his champion and said quietly, "Kill him."

Then he jumped off the platform and onto a stone seat which had been brought for him. Four of his guards lifted the seat high into the air so that their lord could look down on the contest from above.

Garth lunged at the Yukon wolf, hoping that a quick tackle might disorient and surprise his opponent. It did not work. Instead, Garth bounced straight off and fell to the ground. Just as he was getting up, his opponent backpawed him and sent him flying nearly to the edge, where the other Jasper wolves watched in apprehension.

Lilly ran up to him. "Come on, honey, you can do it!" she said.

Garth smiled at her and winked. "Don't worry, babe, I got him right where I want hi – ahhhhh!"

As Garth had been speaking, the giant had grabbed him by the tail and swung him around the platform, so that he landed on the opposite side, near a group of rowdy Yukon wolves who threw dirt in his face. Insulted, Garth quickly jumped up.

"Okay, buddy, now it's time to pay!" Garth said with as much toughness as he could muster. And he charged for the giant wolf.

"Dropkick!" Kate called out. "Go for the dropkick! It'll knock him off his balance!"

"Shut up, or I'll disqualify him for illegal interference," Tarquin muttered.

As it was, Garth did not go for a dropkick. He did not hear Kate's advice clearly and turned toward her to see what she was saying. This distraction gave his opponent the perfect opportunity to level him with a powerful fist.

Lilly held her paws to her mouth in worry. Seeing this, Humphrey decided to comfort her.

"Don't worry," he said, "Garth can come back from that! It's just a love-tap, really! He's got so much brawn, I bet he didn't even feel it. It's like punching an air-bag!"

Garth was promptly kicked onto his back by the giant. He let out a loud and painful grunt as he landed.

"And really, who needs a spine anyway?" Humphrey continued. "Being able to move your limbs is overrated, I always say."

The giant now began to step on Garth's foreleg, trying to break it. Garth let out several screams as the humungous wolf threw his wait on the leg repeatedly.

"Don't pay any attention to that," Humphrey said, "Who needs all four legs anyway? I think I read something once that said you can get by perfectly well on one."

"Humphrey," Lilly said quietly, without taking her eyes off of Garth, "please stop comforting me now."

Humphrey smiled in embarrassment. "Sure thing."

"Boy, Garth is really getting killed out there," Edgar said, carrying a pile of small pebbles. "It's a good thing I put all my money on the big guy instead."

Humphrey turned to him in shock. "Even up here, you're still betting? And you bet _against us?_"

Edgar shrugged. "Nothing personal, Humphrey, it's just good business. These Yukon wolves are just itching to throw down their dough on some action and, right now, I'm the only game in town."

He then put down the pebbles. Humphrey now saw that each one was marked with black and red dots. There were many more red dots than black ones. Edgar continued, "I just finished passing all these out. The red dots are markers showing that you bet for Garth, the black ones show you bet for his opponent. The reason there's so many red left is because nobody's dumb enough to bet money on Garth. Well, one person was, but everybody else knows he's going to be murdered out there."

Lilly let out a small cry at these words. "Edgar, please," Humphrey said, motioning toward her.

Edgar failed to get the hint. "Now, I know it's common practice for the bookie to hedge his bets and put his money down on both sides, but I figured, why bother? Garth is getting pounded so badly that he doesn't have a sliver of a chance of winning. He's toast."

Lilly let out another concerned gasp. "Edgar, shut up," Humphrey said.

Edgar began to say something else, but then his head was rammed down into the pile of pebbles.

"I do not look like a guy!" Claw said after pushing him down.

"Thanks, Claw!" Humphrey exclaimed.

Claw gave him a thumbs-up gesture in response.

Garth, meanwhile, had gotten back to his feet and was managing to deliver a few blows to his opponent. None of them had any effect. Garth had tried to go for his throat once, but the wolf's neck was so large and round that Garth could not even get his teeth around it. So he was stuck trying to whack his enemy into oblivion, completely without success.

But Garth was managing to steady himself and parry the enemy's blows, as well as keep the giant wolf from chomping down on his neck. It seemed as though he would not go down so easily after all. This upset the big wolf, so the big wolf took his claw and raked Garth's eyes.

"That wasn't fair!" Kate shouted to Tarquin. "He just cheated!"

Tarquin, high on his rock, had turned his head so that his eyes faced away from the crowd and the platform. "And yet, I'm conveniently looking in the other direction," he said.

By the time Garth recovered from the underhanded attack, the giant wolf had pounced on top of him and was closing his jaws around his neck. Garth felt his wind-pipe being crushed; he could no longer breathe. He knew that if those jaws closed around him anymore, they not only would tear out his throat, but also snap his neck. He would be dead. But he could not escape. The big wolf was too strong and too powerful. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get the giant off of him. It looked like the end.

As things started to go black, Garth looked over to Lilly. If this was the last of earth, he wanted his last gaze to be on her. "Lilly," he whispered, "I'm sorry…."

Lilly's heart started to race. She knew what was going on. Quickly, she ran over to where Tarquin sat. Jumping on a nearby boulder, she was just able to reach the top of his seat. She grabbed his foreleg and held tight onto it.

"You've got to stop this!" she pleased. "Please, please, please, stop it! He's going to kill him! He's going to kill my Garth!"

Tarquin growled. He was enraged to see Lilly showing so much concern for her mate.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted. And with a swing of his scepter, he knocked Lilly to the ground. Her head hit the boulder as she fell and she sprawled out on the ground, her body prone and limp. Kate and Humphrey quickly ran over.

"Lilly!" Garth screamed as he saw this.

Suddenly, all concern about his own death evaporated. Every instinct to protect his mate kicked in and surpassed itself in strength.

"Get off of me!" Garth yelled at the giant wolf. And with his back legs, he swiftly kicked into the giant's chest.

His love of Lilly had given him perhaps ten times his normal strength, for the beast went flying out of his sight. But Garth did not care. He did not even truly notice. He only cared about defending Lilly.

He ran over toward where Tarquin sat and jumped off the platform. "I'm gonna kill you, pal!" he bellowed. "No one hurts Lilly without having to answer to me! Where do you get off, hitting a lady, anyway?"

But then Humphrey, sensing that attacking Tarquin would only bring more trouble down on their heads, grabbed onto Garth. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said, talking quickly. "She's alright, she's alright. Lilly's alright. And you won the challenge. You won the challenge. There's no need to be angry; you already won."

Suddenly, the very fact that he had been in the middle of a challenge came back to Garth. He looked around to see where his opponent was. His eyes grew wide in surprise as he saw the giant Yukon wolf sprawled out at the bottom of the hill.

Just as Humphrey had hoped, this was enough to distract Garth from his anger and his mind was now only filled with worry for his mate. He hurried to Lilly's side. She was just beginning to come-to, and Kate was holding onto her shoulder to steady her. Garth leaned down in front of her. He was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes.

"G-Garth?" she said. "D-did you win?"

Garth smiled and winked. "Oh yeah, babe, I won."

Lilly was still a bit groggy. "D-did he hurt you?"

"Not anything I can't afford to lose," Garth said. Then he looked up at Humphrey and Kate. "Wolves don't need a functioning liver, right?"

"I don't think so," Humphrey said. "It's just a vestigial organ that serves no purpose. Like Edgar's brain."

"Okay, good," Garth said as he turned back to Lilly.

Speaking of Edgar, the rusty little wolf now came over. "Oh man, this is terrible!" he moaned with great sadness.

"I know, poor Lilly," Humphrey answered quietly without taking his eyes off of her.

"I had everything riding on that match!" Edgar continued. "Now that Garth won, I'm ruined! Again!"

Garth looked up at him. His eyes narrowed. "So, you're gambling again? And you bet _against me?_"

"Yeah, and if you would have just taken a dive like a real wolf, I wouldn't be in the trouble I'm in now!" Edgar exclaimed. "To think, all that caribou I collected, and now I'm going to have to pay it off to the one wolf who bet on you."

"Only one wolf bet on me?" Garth asked, clearly annoyed that no one seemed to have much faith in him. But one person apparently did and Garth wanted to find out who.

He looked over to his two Betas. "Claw? Scar?"

Claw and Scar exchanged knowingly looks and smiled in mutual embarrassment. Each one opened a paw to reveal a black-dotted pebble. Behind them, Hutch and Can-do did the same.

"Thanks a lot," Garth said. "I'll remember that next time yearly evaluations come up." He then turned to Humphrey and Kate.

"Well, since Kate and I don't gamble, it couldn't have been us," Humphrey explained.

"Then who bet on me?" Garth asked.

Just then, Lilly – still feeling the effects of hitting her head – shifted her body a little. When she did so, her paw opened and something fell out. The eyes of Garth, Kate, and Humphrey went wide when they saw what it was; a pebble with a small red spot.

"Lilly, you bet on me?" Garth asked.

"Uh-huh," Lilly said with a smile. "I've always bet on you, Garth."

Garth smiled back and tenderly rubbed Lilly's face with his paw. "I should have known it was you," he said.

"Oh, right, that's who I sold the red pebble to," Edgar said.

This did nothing to endear him to Garth, who now turned to look at him again. His eyes looked like a volcano had gone off in them. "You encouraged my mate to gamble?" he hollered.

"Believe me, I wouldn't of if I could have remembered it," Edgar said.

"We'll discuss this later," Garth said sharply. Then he turned back to Lilly. "Now, Lilly, I want you to understand something. Gambling is not a game."

"Huh?" Kate, Humphrey, and Edgar all exclaimed around him.

Garth shook them off. "Well, it is gaming, but it's serious. That's not something I want you to ever get mixed up in, Lilly, do you understand? I know what happens when you get involved in something like that. First you think it's all fun, you just lay down a handful of bitter berries to be sociable, and then suddenly you're hooked and you can't stop yourself. Pretty soon, you're selling your unborn children into slavery just to have more money to gamble away. That's not something I want to happen to us, Lilly."

"Selling your unborn children?" Humphrey said. "Garth, where do you get this stuff?"

"It's true," Edgar said. "My descendants are going to be in servitude until the year 6024 at the rate I'm going."

Humphrey and Kate both stared at Edgar, once again stunned by how deep a hole he had dug for himself.

"But it's okay," Edgar said, noticing their looks, "I've got a way to outsmart the collectors. I'll just never find a mate and never have any pups. That way, no one will be able to impress them into slavery. So, all I have to do is die a lonely and bitter old shell of a wolf and I win!"

Kate was the first one to speak. "Well… I hope that works out for you."

"I really don't think you'll have any trouble fulfilling that at all," Humphrey added.

"But Garth," Lilly said, "if you don't want me to gamble, does that mean you don't want all the caribou meat we just won?"

This put Garth in a tough spot. He thought about it for a few moments before speaking. "Well, if we already won it… I guess it can't hurt."

"You're going to need it," came a voice high above them. All the wolves (except for Lilly, who already had a good view) turned to see Tarquin on his seat being carried by his guards as they walked past them.

"I'm not wasting my resources to feed you, so you might as well," Tarquin barked haughtily. "And you're cheap tricks might have won you this round, but you won't be so lucky tomorrow."

Kate now stood up to face him. "And which one of us do you want to show you up next?"

Tarquin chuckled. "Ah, Kate, there's still so much humiliation to be beaten into you. But since you asked, the person I choose is… him!"

Tarquin lifted up his scepter as he spoke and pointed the pointed diamond tip toward Humphrey.

"What?" Kate yelled. "But he's an Omega! That's not part of the challenge!"

Tarquin grinned evilly. "Oh, and here I thought you Jasper wolves were all about equality and it doesn't matter if you're an Alpha or an Omega. I guess you're still prejudiced."

"It's not that!" Kate countered. "It's that he came up here without preparing to compete!"

But then she felt a paw on her shoulder. "It's okay, Kate," Humphrey said.

Then he stepped beside her and looked up at Tarquin. "I'm ready for anything. So what did you have in mind, your grumpiness? How about we do competing comedy routines? But not stand-up; that stuff can be dangerous!"

Tarquin sneered at Humphrey's joke. He clearly did not appreciate the Omega's sense of humor. So he just pretended as though those words were never said. "The next challenge," said he, "requires speed and cunning and dexterity. I've heard, Omega, that you're considered quite the expert at log-sledding down south. Well, we shall see if you are such an expert when you face off against my log-sledders tomorrow!"

Humphrey's face lit up. "Log-sledding? Ha, bring it on!"

"Oh, we shall bring it on," Tarquin said. "We shall bring it on, indeed!"

* * *

**Jasper: 1**

**Yukon: 0**

* * *

**What tricks do the Yukon wolves have planned for Humphrey's challenge? Shall he survive?**

**Read on.**


	21. Humphrey's Challenge

**Before we begin, I'd just like to make a quick announcement. My _101 Dalmatians_/_Alpha and Omega_ crossover "A Confluence of Hearts", staring Cadpig and Lilly, is now out. I am rather pleased with it so far and I've got some great things planned for it, so I'd encourage everybody to check it out.**

**Now, to what everybody has been waiting for: Humphrey's challenge.**

* * *

"Man, you guys were _luck-y!_" Ginger said, splitting the last word into two to add emphasis.

Garth had just finished telling them the story of his trial and of the day's other events. Being Garth, he naturally had exaggerated several details of his own battle – the hulking brute was now fifteen feet tall and Garth's skin was practically made of iron – but after what he had went through, the other Jasper wolves were willing to let him have a little self-glorification.

"Unfortunately, luck has a tendency to run out," Lance interjected. "I'm glad I'm not the one who has to go log-sledding tomorrow."

Humphrey opened his mouth to say something incredibly flippant and witty, but before he could, Garth spoke again. "Ah, don't worry about Humphrey. He's the best log-sledder in all of Canada. He practically invented log-sledding!"

Garth put his foreleg around Humphrey's shoulder to emphasize the point. Humphrey smiled and added, "Practically? I did invent log-sledding. These Klondike cowards just stole it! No offense, of course."

"None taken," Lance answered, though in a way that suggested that he did take offence after all.

"Boy, you guys must be great friends," Ginger said, gazing at them with admiration.

Humphrey and Garth exchanged nervous looks. Garth pulled back his foreleg as though a tarantula was crawling on it and both wolves took a few small steps away from each other.

Overall, this did nothing to dampen the tone of general levity created by Garth's surprising victory in the day's challenge. For the first time since they entered the valley by the Beaufort Sea, our heroes felt as though they might have a chance of surviving after all.

However, there was one who did not feel altogether like celebrating. That was Kate, who had left the enthusiasm of the den for the cold majesty of the ledge outside, where an excellent view was offered of stunning peaks jutting upward toward a dreary sky.

She was torn just as the skies above were torn by darkening cumulous clouds. She was worried about these dreams she was having. They did not seem to be abating; if anything, the one last night had been the strongest and most vivid of all. What could it all mean? She did not have the answer. All she knew was that she was carrying the guilt of what had been done to Lilly, and she would have to carry it until the day she died.

"Sis, is everything okay?"

Kate turned swiftly to see Lilly sitting behind her. Kate had always been surprised at how, despite not having any Alpha training, Lilly could so often manage to silently sneak up on her.

Kate rapidly shook her head. "No… I mean, yeah, everything's fine. Why wouldn't everything be fine? Garth won his contest today and Humphrey is going to be fine tomorrow, so everything's fine, right? Why wouldn't it be?"

Lilly looked down and away. "Oh, okay. It's just… you've been acting kinda strange lately. I just thought that maybe something was bothering you."

Kate put on a large, fake smile. "Bothering me? Nothing ever bothers me, sis! I'm Kate the Great after all! He he, Kate the Great, that's what they used to call me at Alpha School. Yep, nothing ever bothers me!"

Lilly nodded slowly. "Okay then, I just thought I'd ask." Then she got up, turned slowly, and slowly walked back into the cave.

Kate let out a sigh of relief. She had thrown Lilly off the scent again, or so she thought. She did not hear Lilly whisper these words to herself as she walked back into the cave, "My fault for expecting you to trust me…."

* * *

More flames, more flames, more flames. Golden sun, deep blue sky. "Quickly and soon, quickly and soon!" These elements of the vision where the same.

But now, something different was troubling Kate's sight. There, in front of her, she saw the whole scene play out between Tarquin and the leaders of the southern pack. There was beautiful Rosaline, caught in suspense as Tarquin's forces poured out of the surrounding valley and down toward her. She tried to defend herself, her father tried to defend her, but it was all in vain.

Kate wanted to run in and help, but she found that she had no control. She was a ghost, viewing this action but not truly being present. She could only watch the horror or turn away. So she tried to turn away. And discovered that she could not turn away. She had to watch.

Then she noticed that the Omega who had come with the southerners was fighting back as well. He was doing everything he could to defend Rosaline, despite the fact that he was practically powerless against Tarquin's brutes and was repeatedly knocked aside. But for some reason, Kate could not break her gaze from him. He seemed somehow to shine with a light, bright and golden like the sun, and that light would not go out no matter how often he was pushed aside.

Then the darkness dropped again, and Kate was alone in her mind. "Quickly and soon!" called the familiar voice, and Kate knew the vision was ending. Sure enough, she immediately opened her eyes into the pale dawn.

* * *

This was still troubling Kate's mind an hour or so later as the Jasper wolves made their way across the valley to where Tarquin was waiting for them. He sent Benny to tell them this but did not have him lead them there this time, apparently assuming that they should know how to find their way around the valley now.

But the Jasper wolves, having not actually explored much of the valley, were not sure about it. So Lance and Ginger agreed to accompany them part of the way.

This actually worked in Kate's favor. She wanted to ask the locals a question. And Lance was leading the way, so that meant that the ever-talkative Ginger was free to answer any questions Kate might have.

Kate walked up beside her and said, "Ginger? The leaders of the South Beaufort Pack, the ones that Tarquin killed, did you know them?"

Ginger shook her head, but was clearly happy to have something to talk about. "No, me and Lance never met them. We were northerners, so we never had any reason to. We saw them from a distance and we heard them speak when Franklin wanted to address both packs. They seemed nice, like good leaders. But we never actually met them or anybody from the southern pack. Well, that's not true; there was one southern Omega we knew."

"Hmph, _I _didn't know him," Lance said.

"Well, _he_ didn't know him!" Ginger responded with a sharp glare in Lance's direction. "But I did. He was always funny and nice. I think he had a crush on Rosaline or something because he always seemed to be looking for an excuse to report to her. In fact, he was with her and her dad when they went to the marriage with Tarquin. And… none of them came back…."

Ginger fell into a moment of sadness, rare for her. "I miss him."

"What was his name?" Kate asked, interested now that she knew this was the wolf she had seen.

Her words snapped Ginger out of her mood. "His name? Um… oh… um…" The little Omega shook her head swiftly as she tried to remember. Then it occurred to her. "Oh, his name was Nicholas!"

"Ah," Kate said in response. She had somehow expected this answer to clarify the mystery of why she dreamt of him, but now realized that it would not have made things clearer no matter what his name was.

"Why are you asking about that, Kate?" Garth asked. Humphrey would have asked, but was too nervous.

Kate smiled over her shoulder, but it was smile that said she was hiding something. "Oh, no reason. I was just curious about them, is all."

"Ginger, time to go," Lance said. He had stopped in his tracks. Ginger and Kate looked up to see one of Tarquin's goons walking up ahead. Ginger and Lance both knew they had to get out of there before they were seen "fraternizing" with the enemy. Kate said a quick thank-you as they hurried away.

This left the Jasper wolves in the middle of a large, hilly forest. They still had no clue where they were, but they knew if Tarquin's thugs were about, then the self-proclaimed Emperor could not be far behind. They kept walking over the wide and steep hills in the dense forest and, sure enough, it was not too long before they witnessed Tarquin appearing over a nearby crag.

"Ah, my foolhardy friends, you've arrived," he said menacingly, his mouth upturned in a sinister grin. He seemed to be even more pleased with himself than usual.

Kate was about to answer but Humphrey stepped past her, hoping to avoid another verbal entanglement between the two. "Yes, we have, your bossiness! Now where's the race-course? I can't wait to get started."

The grin was gone from Tarquin's face, replaced with a sneer. "Just follow me and you shall see it soon enough."

They followed the Emperor across a few more very large hills until they reached a particularly large and steep one, the steepest they had come across in the whole forest, upon which a crowd of wolves was already waiting.

Kate looked down the hill. There was a very narrow indentation, almost a defile, in the hill which made the space for maneuvering a log-sled very tight indeed. Added to this difficulty, the indentation, into which an empty half-log had already been placed, was filled with all sorts of dangerous objects. Painfully sharp rocks jutted up from the ground at all angles and all points while a number of trees had fallen – or been knocked down – on either side of the defile. The trees had fallen into the defile and thus blocked off much of the path that was still useable. Here and there, a hole large enough to engulf a log made the track even more perilous. It was as though the spot had been chosen specifically to ensure that no one could ever log-slide down it.

Kate gritted her teeth as she looked upon this. Humphrey gulped as he saw the same thing.

"Here is where you shall race, Omega!" Tarquin announced, pointing with his scepter to the empty half-log.

"You're joking!" Kate barked. "There's no way that anyone could ever ride a log down through here! It's impossible!"

"Well, I guess if your Omega is not the greatest log-sledder ever, well…. It might be difficult," Tarquin said.

Kate was about to fire back when Humphrey stepped forward. He knew he had to keep her from digging themselves into bigger holes than this one. He had to do whatever that took. Even if it meant doing this.

"Don't worry, Kate," Humphrey said, trying to hide his own worry under a smile. "Me and the boys took on much deadlier stuff back home! We'll be fine!"

He walked over and felt the log for any sign of sabotage. Finding none, Humphrey began to slowly enter it. As he did so, he looked at Tarquin.

"And where, if I may ask, are my opponents?"

Tarquin silently pointed his scepter over to a nearby hill, which was mostly hidden in woods. But from what Humphrey could see, there were four large brutes setting up a log to ride in at the top of the hill and then a calm, easy slope going down. There were absolutely no rough spots or challenges of any kind there from what Humphrey could see.

"You know what?" Humphrey said. "I'm going to take that as a compliment. I'm so skilled, you felt the need to handicap me. I get it, you wanted things to be fair. But I'm still going to win."

Tarquin growled as he sat down on his rock, which was then lifted into the air. With his scepter, he pointed to a small lake far in the distance. "Whoever gets there first wins!"

"This is completely unfair!" Kate protested. It seemed as though another shouting match with Tarquin was about to begin.

But Lilly came to Kate's side and said, "We can't do anything about it and arguing won't make a difference. Let's just support Humphrey in the only way we can."

Kate nodded as she realized the wisdom of Lilly's words.

All the Jasper wolves gathered around Humphrey's log to wish him a good send-off.

"Good luck, Humphrey!" Lilly said with a charming smile. "I just know you're gonna win!"

"Thanks, Lilly," Humphrey said with an equally charming smile.

"Humphrey," Garth said. "Um, er… this is hard for me to say, but… do Jasper proud out there!"

Humphrey winked at him. "You know I'd never disappoint you, buddy!"

Garth shuttered.

"Hey, who wants to bet Humphrey loses badly today?" Edgar said. "It's a sure-fire deal! There's no way he can win!"

"Shut up, Edgar!" All the Betas yelled together.

"At least I have somebody's vote of confidence," Humphrey said sarcastically.

"Now remember, Humphrey," Kate said, "if you get yourself killed out there, I'll kill you."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Humphrey responded playfully.

Kate smiled at his always-upbeat attitude and how, even when facing death, he would not give in to despair. It was one of the things she adored about him. So it was only fitting when she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"What? That's all I get?" Humphrey said. "Not even a kiss on the mouth?"

Kate smiled furtively. "Get back here in one piece and maybe I'll think about it."

Humphrey smiled. "Well, now I have to survive this race!"

Tarquin looked in anger at the attention Humphrey was receiving. There was no way, he felt, that an Omega should receive such support and affections. He was going to end this now. "It's time to get things started," he said. "Justin, will you do the honors?"

Justin was standing nearby, waiting for the moment to fulfill his role. He nodded at the command and then tilted his head back. As the Jasper wolves quickly stepped back, Justin let out a loud yelping howl. The race was on!

The course did not start off easily, as Humphrey had to immediately dodge a large rock that seemed to be pointed right at him. If he had any doubts about Tarquin's ill-will in choosing this course, they were gone now, because he could clearly see how the maneuvering he had to do was causing him to lose speed and momentum.

Nor did the course get any better. Humphrey had to continually slide around rocks, avoid holes, and roll under fallen trees. It was a miracle, all things considered, that he was able to maneuver at all. But all that dangerous log-sliding in Jasper had served him well; he reacted on instinct and was able to skim off the obstacles, thus keeping himself moving while avoiding the pain of hitting them head on.

Kate looked on in fear as Humphrey tumbled around the course. But what could she do? She looked around for some way to help him but knew that any interference would cost Humphrey the match. She either would have to do something without Tarquin noticing, but she could not see anything to do. Perhaps the only thing was to pray that Humphrey would somehow survive.

Humphrey looked over through an opening in the trees to see that the Klondike wolves were far ahead of him. He knew that things were looking bad. Having an easy, gentle ride down – gentler than even his first log-slide as a pup – they would be at the lake in no time. Humphrey had to catch up to them somehow. But how?

And then he noticed a tree which had fallen over at just the right angle. It was facing him just enough and had just enough of an arc to be used as a ramp. He swiftly maneuvered his log in that direction and prepared himself for the great leap. In an instant, he was up in the air, zooming higher and higher, breaking through the trees, and disappearing from the sight of the crowd.

"A tree-ramp?" Kate said. "That's brilliant! That's why I love you, Humphrey!"

"Go, Humphrey, go!" Lilly shouted.

"Even I have to admit, that was pretty clever!" Garth added.

Behind them, Tarquin smiled. "Just as we wanted him to do," he whispered to himself.

Humphrey flew through the air and could tell that he was speeding past his competition. He looked forward with a wide smile. Not only was this experience perhaps one of the most thrilling log-slides he had ever engaged in, but he was practically assured of winning now. He could see a smooth ride up ahead. All he had to do was land properly and he would be fine.

Humphrey came down with a perfect landing. But then something happened which he did not expect. The ground gave way and he fell crashing into a pit several feet deep. It was a perfectly square pit and Humphrey noted as he fell that the walls had been smoothed. This was no natural occurrence – it was a prepared trap.

Not that Humphrey would be doing much escaping. He landed at a poor angle and most of the log came down on top of him. His head was given a particularly bad smack. Try as he might to prevent it, he could not overcome the rising tide of unconsciousness.

What happened afterward, Humphrey only witnessed in snippets as he flickered in and out of consciousness. At some point, he felt himself being lifted upward, as though someone was carrying him.

He heard someone say, "Hold the rope steady, Pico, we're almost up."

He blacked out again, but later he felt them running through the forest at a swift pace. He was not running, but he was on somebody's back. This somebody was not alone. There were several more about them. But Humphrey could not get a good look at any of them, for he soon fell back into darkness.

The last thing he heard before he passed out was the same voice commanding, "We've passed them. Hurry, make the turn and cut them off!"

When next he awoke, he saw the Klondike team of wolves flying down their own slope on their own log-sled. But he was on their slope also, as was the host which had apparently collected him. And then he saw wolves from that host jump out and knock the northern team from their sled. The log itself was kicked up into the air and smashed against a tall tree. And then, back to blackness.

He awoke again to feel himself being lowered into something. Even in his stupor, he could tell the familiar feel of the inside of a log underneath him. Instinctively, he grabbed on as though he was going to ride it down.

"Now, send him off," the voice said. "We've got to get him going and get out of here before they see us."

And with those words, Humphrey felt his log fly into motion as he left the world of light once more.

He awoke for a final time to see all of his friends and their new enemies waiting for him at the bottom of the lake. Within a few seconds, he arrived in their midst. His friends let out a cheer of excitement. Humphrey had won!

As Humphrey staggered out of the log, he tried to piece together what had happened. Things were just a blur of scattered images in his head. But before he could make sense of them, Kate wrapped her forelegs around him and gave him a big kiss.

"What was… what was that for?" Humphrey asked, still partially out of it.

Kate chuckled, thinking he was playing with her. "Don't you remember, silly? I said you might get a kiss if you got here in one piece!"

"Oh, right!" Humphrey said as he felt mental stability return. "Sorry about that. Not that I didn't want it or anything, but I just got a nasty bump on the head and had trouble remembering a few things. But I guess that's what happened when your opponents set traps in the middle of the race-course." At these last words, he turned his eyes toward Tarquin.

Had Humphrey been completely himself, he never would have said those words. As it was, he had also forgotten about what was guaranteed to happen next.

Kate burst into a fury at Tarquin. "You evil cur! It isn't enough for you to make things hard for us? You have to try and deliberately kill us too?"

Tarquin shrugged. "Home team makes the rules, and the rules say I can do whatever I want."

"I should show you a thing or two about breaking rules… and bones!" Kate barked.

But Humphrey quickly grabbed hold of her again. "Kate, Kate, I'm fine! There's no need to get ourselves into further trouble. Just calm down."

Tarquin smiled viciously. "Your Omega is right for once. Don't dig yourself a deeper grave, Kate. Or do; it's more fun that way."

Kate snarled. Yet, Humphrey's words and the balanced side of her judgment told her that nothing more could be gained from it. She resigned herself to the fact and regained her composure.

But behind her, Can-do was not ready to be so agreeable. "I say we knock all their blocks in!" shouted he. "We've put up with this stuff for too long!"

"Not now, Can-do!" Hutch chastised. Most of the other Jasper wolves exchanged uncomfortable looks as they knew Can-do was just causing more problems.

But it was too late. Tarquin had heard them. "Well," said he, "the little tiny barrel-dog wants to start something. He must have a Napoleon complex!"

"Says the wolf who calls himself an Emperor!" Can-do shot back, despite Hutch's attempts to stop him.

Tarquin growled. Now Can-do had made him mad. "Oh, if you have such a problem with me, my friend, then I shall give you the opportunity to do something about it! You can take the next challenge!"

"Bring it on!" Can-do barked in response. "Me and Hutch can take on anything, can't we, Hutch?"

Hutch, meanwhile, was shaking his head at his leaders and Tarquin. Though he was as brave as any wolf, he did not want to be a part of whatever mess Can-do was creating for himself.

But Tarquin had gotten the idea. "Ah, so you're a team, then. Excellent. Then both of you can play together tomorrow."

Hutch planted his face in his paw upon hearing this. Not for the first time, Can-do had dragged him into a very bad situation. But Hutch knew he had to face it, it was his duty. He tried to cheer himself up as he lifted his head up. "Well, it's only one challenge and there will be two of us, so how bad can it be?"

Tarquin grinned. "Only one challenge, yes, but since there are two Jasper wolves, it shall count as two. So, if you win, you win two, but if you lose, well…. I trust you can do the math!"

"Is it just me or are these rules completely arbitrary without making any sense at all?" Humphrey quipped.

"He's right," Hutch protested, trying to maintain as calm a demeanor as he could. "That hardly seems fair or fitting."

Tarquin looked down on Hutch haughtily. "What's fair and fitting is what I say it is! Goodbye!"

He ordered his wolves to depart, so that our heroes would not have a chance to respond. The four wolves carrying him walked away as fast as they could, with the other wolves surrounding him.

Once they had gotten safely out of our heroes' earshot, Tarquin told Justin, "Those two Betas must lose tomorrow, no matter what!"

The Jasper wolves proceeded back toward their own cave. Despite the trouble Can-do had caused for himself and Hutch, a general feeling of elation prevailed. Everybody, with the exception of Hutch, was now in even higher spirits over the fact that two challenges had been successfully faced and overcome. It seemed like there might be a winning chance for Jasper after all.

But Humphrey was not paying attention to any of this. He was lost in his own thoughts and began to fall behind. He knew clearly that someone had been responsible for saving his life and helping him to defeat the Yukon wolves. Someone had taken pity on him, someone had taken the Klondike thugs on at their own game so that Jasper could win. But who would want to do that? Who in the Yukon even had the power? And why would they care about the contest? Or about him? Humphrey had no answers.

But he did not have much chance to think because Kate had noticed that he had fallen behind. "Humphrey, you coming?" she called back.

Humphrey realized now how much distance the others had advanced beyond him. He mentally laughed at himself for getting so caught up in his thoughts that he had not noticed it before. That was not like him.

"Just a moment, Kate," he called forward. He banished the haunting questions from his mind and hurried to catch up with his fellows.

But as he did so, he could have sworn he heard from somewhere in the forest the faint sound of faraway voices singing:

"Under the Sun we'll crush the Scorpion,

And when we win this war

Our foes will fear the name of Rienzi

For a thousand years or more!"

* * *

**Jasper: 2**

**Yukon: 0**

* * *

**Who were the mysterious strangers who saved Humphrey? And how shall Hutch and Can-do fare in their challenge?**

**Read on.**


	22. Challenges

**I rather like this one. Emotionally, it might be the most intense chapter yet.**

* * *

A caribou fell to the ground as Can-do latched onto it. Behind him, Hutch scrambled to take down another. Meanwhile, Justin and another Klondike wolf were struggling to bring down a third caribou. This was the challenge. Whoever could bring down twenty caribou the fastest would be the winning team. So far, Hutch and Can-do were outpacing their opponents by a sizeable margin. The Yukon wolves scurried to keep up. It seemed as though this contest would be in the bag and then things would be 4 – 0.

The Jasper wolves watched in silent expectation from the sidelines. Behind them, Tarquin looked on, fuming silently, from atop his high rock. "Come on, boys," he muttered to himself. "Take 'em out, like we planned."

Officially, neither team was supposed to interfere in what the other was doing. Tarquin had explained the rules very thoroughly. If any wolf was caught bothering the other team or even interacting in any way, his team would be disqualified.

But, Tarquin had left a blind spot in there on purpose. He had never mentioned what to do if two of the wolves went after the same caribou. And, in truth, that was exactly the thing he was counting on. And now it looked as though it would happen.

Can-do leapt for a caribou. Seeing his opportunity, Justin went after the same caribou. It quickly fell to the ground from their combined weight.

Can-do now noticed the Klondike creature on his caribou. "Hey, get off, will ya?" he barked.

"No way, little guy, I was here first," Justin answered.

"You were not!"

"Yes, I was! Now get away from me before I make something of it!"

Can-do turned more directly toward him, without stepping off the caribou. "Oh, so you want to make something of it, do you?"

"You threatening me, little boy?" Justin taunted, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Maybe I am!" Can-do growled, having no clue what he was walking into.

But then, much to Can-do's surprise (and, it must be admitted, disappointment), Justin turned away. "Whatever. It's not like a cute little tyke like you could mess much with me."

"That's it!" Can-do hollered. He leapt into the air and pushed his opponent to the ground.

Hutch had come running over, but it was too late. The deed was done, and Tarquin called for an end to the match.

"In light of this blatant disregard of the rules," Tarquin said, "I rule that the two Jasper dogs are hereby disqualified. This marks two victories for the Yukon!"

All around our heroes, Yukon wolves cheered triumphantly. Kate and Garth looked around in discontent at them. Lilly covered her ears to block out the tremendous shouting. Her lavender eyes disappeared under her lids at the same moment. Humphrey just seemed to go with the whole experience.

Behind them, Claw and Scar seemed unhappy. But not nearly as unhappy as Edgar was. He kicked the ground in anger. "Just this once, I bet on our boys, just this once! And it happens to be the one time they lose. Twice, which I'm not even sure is possible!"

"Okay, wolves, you know the rules," Tarquin said. "Kill the losers."

The eyes of all the Jasper wolves, with the exception of Edgar, widened. While they all knew the penalty that hung over them, none of them had expected it to come so soon. It was generally believed that there would be no executions until the overall winning side had been determined.

Not so. For now, as Hutch and Can-do backed away from the caribou, Tarquin's guards surrounded them. But they were not going down without a fight. Can-do was already growling and preparing to lunge. Hutch was much calmer, but there was a look in his eyes that said he would die like a Beta.

"Why do I always lose, no matter what?" Edgar complained. "Why am I always the one who suffers?"

But, just as the Yukoners were closing in, Kate jumped between them and her own Betas.

"No, don't you dare do this!" she shouted, more at Tarquin than at his lackeys.

"Kate, Kate, Kate," Tarquin chided mockingly. "You know the rules. And the rules say that these Betas must be punished for their failure."

"What type of ruling is that?" Kate said. "Your wolf provoked the fight! He's the one who should be held responsible!"

"Provoked it, maybe," Tarquin answered, "but he didn't start it. And the rule was only against actually attacking. Trash talking is just a healthy part of the sport."

"These rules make no sense!" Kate yelled.

"They make perfect sense to me," Tarquin answered smugly. "In the end, that's all that really matters. Guards, proceed."

"No!" Kate shouted again as the guards came closer. Though but a single word, her shout was loud and powerful enough to make them all stop in their tracks.

Then she continued. "What is it you want, Tarquin? You want me? You want to humiliate me, upstage me, even kill me? Fine, but leave my people out of it!"

"Now, what would be the fun in that?" Tarquin responded.

"Look," Kate answered, "if I agree to do the next challenge, myself, without any help whatsoever, will you agree to spare Hutch and Can-do? I'm the one you're really after, so how about my life for theirs?"

Tarquin was hesitant to respond.

"Come on, I'm giving you a prime opportunity!" Kate barked. "You hate me more than anyone else, and I'm opening myself up for you to do whatever you want to me! Come on, it doesn't get better than that! Just take my offer already!"

Tarquin rubbed his chin with his scepter as he considered. "You drive a hard bargain there, Kate. I was planning on your challenge being the last one, but since you seem so eager to die, I really can't refuse you. It's a deal. Your challenge will be tomorrow."

Kate sighed in relief, glad that her bait-and-switch tactics had worked. Of course, she was not thinking about just what this had gotten herself into.

"And by the way, Kate," Tarquin said as his guards carried him away. "If you lose tomorrow, Jasper loses the tournament. So it's either you win, or game over. Pleasant dreams."

As the Yukon wolves departed, the Jasper wolves gathered around Kate.

"Ma'am, if I may be so bold," Hutch said, "you shouldn't have done that. Your life is more important than either mine or Can-do's. You should not have sacrificed it for us."

"I didn't sacrifice it," Kate said. "Nobody's going to die under my watch. And I mean nobody! I'm going to win tomorrow, no matter what they throw at me!"

Humphrey applauded. "That's the spirit, Kate! Always stay optimistic in the face of total annihilation."

But Kate, for a moment, did not look quite so optimistic. For a moment, she even seemed to doubt. But it was not a moment that the others noticed. But Kate knew that it had happened. She could not deny it to herself, even if she wanted to.

* * *

Later that day, Kate was leading Humphrey away from the Jasper den.

"So, Kate, what did you want to meet me here about?" Humphrey asked. "Were you thinking of a little romantic date with your favorite Omega?"

He smiled and winked at her, but she did not even notice. Kate clearly had something on her mind.

Humphrey sensed this, and changed his tone completely. "What is it, Kate? What's wrong?"

"I could die tomorrow, you know that," Kate said anxiously.

Humphrey felt like this was something he could help Kate with. He smiled warmly. "Come on, Kate, you're not going to die! If me and Garth were able to survive our challenges, this is going to be a cake-walk for you! You're the best and toughest of all of us. There's nothing Tarquin and his goons can throw at you that you can't take down in ten seconds flat!"

But Kate was not calmed. "I could die tomorrow, and then nobody would ever know. I can't let that happen. I just can't. I can't die with this on my conscience."

Humphrey thought he knew what she was talking about. "Look, Kate, I know coming up here was a mistake. But we're up here now, and we're all a team. We all want to win just as much as you do. Nobody is upset with you anymore. You have nothing to feel guilty or ashamed over."

"Wha-what?" Kate said, clearly not getting his gist. "What are you talking about, Humphrey?"

Humphrey looked bemused. "This whole expedition. Coming up north. Coming to the Yukon. Isn't that what you were just talking about?"

Kate shook her head furiously. "No!"

"Okay," Humphrey said, "then I'm completely lost."

Kate sighed.

"Here's a crazy idea," Humphrey said, still trying to keep the mood relatively light and humorous. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

Kate tried to smile, but could not manage it. "The thing is, I don't know if I can…."

"What?" Humphrey answered playfully. "You can't tell me? But I'm your mate! I can fix anything!"

Kate shook her head. "Some problems just can't be fixed, Humphrey."

The silly grin fell from Humphrey's face. "It's something really serious, isn't it?"

Kate nodded a little.

She sat down. Humphrey sat down beside her and laid his paw gently on her shoulder. "Just take it slow," he said. "I'm here for you. Whatever it is, I'm here for you."

"Lilly didn't kill Melanie!" Kate blurted out.

Humphrey was stunned, but he quickly recovered himself in that manner which only he could. "Well, that's quite a lot to hit me with at one time!"

Kate brushed his hand away, stood up, and started pacing. "Lilly didn't kill Melanie. I killed Melanie. I didn't mean for it to happen but we were racing along the log-bridge over the cliffs. I tried to shake it so that she wouldn't beat my time. And she… she fell."

If Humphrey was stunned before, he was even more stunned now. "Kate, I never–"

"I blamed it on her! Humphrey, I blamed it all on her! She wasn't even there!" Kate continued. "It's my fault she turned out like she did! It's my fault she became an Omega!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Humphrey quipped in an ill-timed attempt to lighten the mood.

"I tried to come clean to mom and dad," Kate said, not slowing down an inch, "but they just said it was better for the pack if everyone thought Lilly did it. They made me promise never to tell her or you or anybody. But I can't hold it in anymore! I'm going to die tomorrow unless I get it out!"

"Okay, okay, slow down, Kate," Humphrey said. "Let me just make sure I got this all straight. So, you were responsible for Melanie's death and yet you blamed Lilly for it. Is that right?"

Kate nodded fretfully.

"And then you felt so guilty that you came clean, but your parents decided it would be better to cover things up?"

Kate nodded again, even more fretfully.

"And you've been keeping this thing inside ever since, is that right?"

Kate's head almost seemed like it would go careening off from how fast she was nodding.

"And you didn't think you could tell me, because?"

Kate seemed almost to panic. "Well, I thought you'd hate me! I thought you wouldn't love me anymore once you knew the truth. Once you knew that I was a murderess, you would see me for what I really am and you would hate me for it!"

Both of them now fell silent. A deep, awkward silence, as each one wondered what was going on in the other's head.

Kate was the first one to break the silence. "You're mad at me, aren't you? I mean, now that you know, you're angry, right?"

Humphrey nodded solemnly. "Of course I'm angry."

Kate looked away in pain, trying to hide her face. Humphrey had never seen her act so much like Lilly.

He walked up to her and once again put his paw on her shoulder. "I'm angry that you thought you couldn't talk to me about this."

Kate now looked into his eyes. He saw that hers were on the verge of tears. "But… but what about everything else? What about Melanie?" she asked, almost choking on her own words.

Humphrey tried to reassure her with his own eyes. His happy, pale blue eyes. "Kate, I love you. I don't care what you did as a pup. All I care about is the person you are now. Besides, I could never blame a puppy for doing something like that, nor could I ever blame the person that puppy grew up to be. Especially when she grew up to be someone as wonderful as you."

Kate smiled through her tears. "Thanks, Humphrey."

"I could never hate you, Kate," Humphrey continued. "I've loved you since the first moment I saw you. Nothing will ever change that. Whatever happened, whatever you did, I don't care. That isn't what's important to me. What's important to me is that I love you and you love me. End of story!"

Humphrey was not prepared for the giant hug Kate encircled him in as soon as he had said this. Not prepared, but pleasantly surprised. He returned it.

The hug lasted until Humphrey said, "What about Lilly?"

Kate immediately let him go and pulled back. "What about Lilly?"

"She has to find out sometime. It's not right for her to go through life thinking she's responsible for something she didn't do."

Kate's face suddenly became stern. "Humphrey, you cannot tell her! Do you understand me? You cannot breathe a word of this to my sister!"

"But, Kate, she needs to know! We can't let her believing that she's responsible for Melanie's death. You know what it's done to her as well as I do!"

Kate sharply turned away. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. "I know, Humphrey. Trust me, I know. I've had to watch it happen every day of my life."

Humphrey took her in his forelegs again. "She has to find out sometime," he said gently.

Kate opened her eyes and faced him. "I know. I know she does. But I have to be the one to tell her. She could end up hating me if it comes out wrong. I need to find the right time and place to talk things over with her."

Humphrey smiled. "Come on, Kate, it's Lilly we're talking about! She could never hate anyone! Especially not her awesome big sis! I've never seen her get angry in her whole life! She's not going to blame you for what you did as a pup; she'll understand. She'll probably cheerfully thank you for telling her and then go off to work on some new turtle impressions."

Kate smiled to think of her sister's turtle obsession. But it made no difference. "No, Humphrey. I can't take that chance. I have to be the one to tell her and I have to tell her at the right moment. Promise that you'll let me do that. Promise that you'll let me handle this my own way and won't go telling her before I'm ready."

Humphrey did not answer. Kate could see by the look in his eyes that he was unsure of how to answer. He clearly did not agree with Kate's perspective.

"Humphrey?" she said, sternly this time.

"Okay, okay," he answered, with visible uncertainty. "If you want to do this in your own time, I promise I won't interfere. But she's gotta know, Kate, and I think she should find out sooner rather than later."

Kate was silent, but in her heart, she knew Humphrey had spoken the truth.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the den, a very different conversation was taking place.

"I don't think I'm Kate's sister," Lilly said as she looked over the rocks toward the blue night.

Garth was behind her, leaning against a particularly jagged rock in the wall. "Not Kate's sister? What do you mean? You're both Eve and Winston's daughters!"

Lilly turned to him, her lavender eyes searching his own. "But what if I'm not?"

"Lilly, don't be silly!" Garth responded. "Of course you're their daughter. They love you like… like… a distant cousin? No, they love you like a daughter. They may not always show it, but they do. Parents don't always know how to show love. Trust me on that. I have a lot of experience there."

"Garth, please, I have to say this," Lilly responded. "Just let me say it."

"Okay, honey, go ahead," Garth answered.

"I had a dream," Lilly said. "I had a dream that I wasn't born like Kate was. I wasn't born at all, I don't think. I came down. I came down from a star."

Garth smiled. "Lilly, you've always been a gift from Heaven to me!"

Lilly shook her head. "Garth, this is serious! I was born from a star. That's the only way to describe it. I was born from a star and I came down in a meteor. Ambrose found me. He told me that, he told me that he found me and he's the one who took me to my parents."

"So, Ambrose told you all this, or was it in a dream?" Garth was confused now, and he did not know a tender way to ask for clarification.

Lilly shook her head, or nodded her head. Actually, it was both. She seemed to do both at the same time. "He told me…. I mean, it was in the dream…. But I think he told me. He found me. He found me and took me home, and that's when he told me that he found me and took me home."

Garth tilted his head this way. And then that way. And then this way and that. "So he found you and then he told you. Or did he tell you he found you? Sorry, but I'm having trouble putting all this together in my head."

Lilly looked over her shoulder at Garth for a moment. For a brief few seconds, a look of anger flashed into her eyes. But it was gone immediately, replaced by her usual calm serenity. Such calmness was deceptive, for she was anything but serene.

"He found me when Kate had left me alone. He took me home and that's when he explained that he had first found me in that meteor."

Lilly fell silent. Garth's mind raced for something to say. Finally, he began, "Lilly, I–"

But Lilly cut him off as she began to speak again. Her eyes flashed in his direction for a moment, but she did not look over her shoulder. The lavender lights soon returned to studying the things below the cliff.

"There was something else," said she. "That was the day Melanie died. But I wasn't with Kate that day. I was with Ambrose. And when I got back to my den, I heard Kate tell my parents I had killed her."

"Killed Kate?"

Another flash of anger appeared in Lilly's eyes, but she did not turn back around. "No, _Me-lan-ie!_" Lilly had accidentally enunciated each syllable as she said it, her emotion was so great.

Garth did not say anything. Lilly continued, "Kate blamed me, but I couldn't have done it. That's what I can't understand. If this is true, if this dream is true, I wasn't to blame. _But Kate blamed me!_ My big sister who always does everything right, _she blamed me!_ How could she do that?"

Garth had not been Kate's biggest fan lately, but he was not going to let Lilly say such things about her sister when such things could not be true. He would be doing a favor to no one by doing so.

"Lilly," said he, "don't be silly! It was just a dream! A bad dream brought on by this whole bad trip! Kate would never do that to you, she loves you too much. Plus, she's too responsible. She would never avoid taking responsibility for her actions. If anything, it would cause her more pain than Melanie's actual death!"

Garth had meant this last part to lighten the mood, but Lilly made a disapproving noise – something between a growl and a shriek – and Garth realized that it had had the exact opposite effect. He reflected that he would probably never be as good as Humphrey at defusing tense situations.

"But it was so real!" Lilly cried out, closing her eyes to hold back the tears. "_It… was… so… real!_"

"I'm sure it was, honey," Garth said as he approached her, gently putting his forelegs around her shoulders. "Dreams sometimes feel that way. But there is no way this one could have been real. You have to believe that. You just have to!"

Lilly nodded and laid her head back into his fur. "I know, Garth, I know. That's what I've been telling myself all along. But I needed to hear it from somebody else."

"And if you did really come from a meteor, the union of the packs wouldn't have been possible," Garth added. "I mean, it worked because you're Winston and Eve's daughter. You still have their blood, you're still an heir, no matter what else. Could you imagine us without that? We'd just be an East and a West again!"

Lilly though about this, looking guiltily down toward the ground. "Yeah, that's true. And we wouldn't want to destroy the union of the packs. I guess it was a pretty silly idea!" When she said the last part, she tried to sound more cheerful than she truly was. For Garth's sake.

Garth smiled at the thought that he had once again been there for Lilly. He nuzzled against her face. "Besides, I bet it just came up because you wanted a way to deny what you did to Melanie."

Suddenly, Lilly tore away from his grasp. Garth looked to her in surprise and possibly even a little pain. But he saw that she was glaring at him, a harsh, burning glare that he never thought he could see in her soft eyes. Garth sensed that something was wrong.

"It wasn't my fault!" she yelled. "I shouldn't blame myself for it! You didn't care! Isn't that what you said?"

Garth could not figure out why he was suddenly being yelled at. He desperately studied Lilly with those glimmering emerald eyes. "Of course I did! And I meant every word of it."

"Liar!" Lilly barked.

Confusion and heartache filled the emerald eyes. If he had not been in pain before, he certainly was now. "Lilly–"

"Liar! You did care! You've been judging me all along! All those things you said about how it didn't matter to you, how it didn't matter at all – you were lying!"

"Lilly, how could you even think that?" Garth belted out.

But it was too late.

Without even waiting for his answer, Lilly had turned and walked down the path back to the den.

Garth remained on the outcropping, looking down at the silent valley below, wondering just what he had done wrong. He had done everything right, as far as he could tell. But somewhere, in the back of his mind, he recognized something about her story. He just could not name it for what it truly was; a distant, forgotten memory from long ago.

* * *

Somewhere, in a hideous mountain peak, Mallt silently sat, a smile on her face. In her dark, evil way, she had just learned of all that occurred. She felt invigorated by the news. The red wolf and the white wolf were now at odds, just as she had hoped for. Her plan was coming together perfectly. When the time for fulfillment came, they would never see it coming.

* * *

Far away, in Jasper, Ambrose arose with a start. He had felt it, he had seen it. As soon as Garth and Lilly had commenced their conversation, he had seen all of it thoroughly in his mind's eye. He knew it was occurring and he did not like what he saw.

Now it was over, and he knew the damage done.

"Hermes!" he shouted. "You cannot let this happen! You cannot let them break apart! Their marriage, their marriage!"

He shook his head sorrowfully and in disbelief. Though alone, he continued speaking, his eyes closed in sorrow. "They cannot do this. It could ruin everything…. The old alchemical books, they spoke of the marriage of the red male and the white female as the secret to creating gold. And it was true. If there is to be a Golden Age of wolfkind, the red male and the white female must be married, they must stay united, no matter what! Everything we have worked for down the centuries could be ruined if it is not so. If they break apart, it shall be ruined."

After a few moments, he opened his eyes. "The Golden Age! Was it a vain dream after all?"

* * *

**Jasper – 2**

**Yukon – 2**

* * *

**Will the great secret soon be revealed?**

**What shall happen with Lilly and Garth's marriage?**

**And what evil challenge must Tarquin have in store for Kate?**

**Read on.**


	23. Kate's Challenge

**Here we are with another exciting chapter of _Perils of the North_!**

**This one will see Kate facing the two greatest challenges of her life - one from her enemy and the other from her sister.**

**How shall she meet them? Shall she survive? Can she triumph?**

**There's only one way to find out!**

* * *

**Also, for those of you following the _Alpha and Omega: The Series_ story, "Lilly on Trial,"**

**I've set up a new poll concerning that one on my profile page. Check it out after you finish reading this chapter.**

* * *

**Now, on with Kate's Challenge!**

* * *

Once more, a dream. This time, Kate found herself deep within the Yukon's 'central' mountain. She recognized it at once, though she could not figure out how she had recognized it. But it was there and she was there, deep inside of it, deeper than she had ever been before.

A great fear rose up in her heart. Everywhere she looked was darkness. Every path just led deeper into the darkness. She ran this way, she ran that way, but she could never escape. There was no escaping.

As she looked around in panic, she saw shadows upon the walls. Evil shadows, hideous shadows, deformed shadows. Kate feared to look at what was casting them, for if the shadows were thus so monstrous, she could only imagine what their casters must look like.

And then Kate saw the most horrifying shadows of all. Three great and monstrous shapes which she recognized as Humphrey, Lilly, and Garth. But they were not as they were in life. No, now they were evil. Humphrey and Garth were two hulking brutes while the black Lilly looked even darker and more sinister than Lilith herself. These were not her family. They could not be her family!

This was not something Kate wanted to see more of. Closing her eyes in fear and panic, she dashed off in a random direction. It seemed that she went along this way, in blind darkness for hours upon hours, just running in a circle the whole time.

But then she found a path, a path leading upwards and upwards. This had to be the way out, she thought. But she did not find the courage to open her eyes until she was half-way up. And then she saw the light. It was shining just a little through a dark tunnel overhead. Kate feared to travel in this tunnel, for it seemed the darkest yet, but she knew it was the only way she could escape the cave.

She ran into the darkness, upward and upward, forever and ever. Centuries seemed to pass as she ran. And gradually, the light became clearer and brighter, slowly coming to illuminate the whole pathway. Finally, Kate flew out of the cave and onto the cliff in the bright sunlight.

It took her eyes many moments to adjust to the sun's light after spending what felt like a lifetime in darkness. The first thing her eyes adjusted to was a great city upon a hill below the cliffs. There, gleaming white spires shot up toward the heavens and lavender banners streamed outward from every gate and window.

"The city," Kate said, not knowing why she said it. "Lilly's city."

Then, finally, her eyes had adjusted enough that they could turn upward. There, in the heavens, she saw the source of all light for the world, the Sun. It burned brightly and its eight rays sent out a great golden gleam toward the eight silver stars which danced around it.

Stars – or lilies.

And Kate thought she saw the light of the corona of the sun forming into the image of a great and majestic dove, its wings spreading across the world, bringing light and life to all those below.

And Kate new that a great new age had dawned at last. She was so caught up in this that she barely heard the voice; "Quickly and soon! The Third Age dawns quickly and soon!"

And then she awoke. Her face covered in sweat, Kate arose from the cold darkness of the cave-den and walked to the cliff, entering into the grey dawn as the melancholy sun shined down upon her. It was the day of destiny, the day when she would either live or die.*****

* * *

Kate tried to keep her spirits up as she walked toward the appointed task. Benny had collected up the Jasper wolves again and was leading them across the valley. Everyone was in high spirits, despite Hutch and Can-do's unfair loss yesterday. But all the wolves had great confidence in Kate and believed that whatever Tarquin dreamed up for her would be no match for her skills and prowess.

The only wolves who seemed unhappy were Kate and Lilly.

Despite her own fears, Kate felt the need to comfort her sister. "Don't look so glum, sis! This will be no problem for me. I'm Kate the Great, after all!"

If only she had believed that herself.

But Lilly just shook her head and turned away. Kate sensed that whatever her problem was, it went deeper than mere concern for her sister's safety in today's challenge.

Before they knew it and before Kate was truly ready, they had all arrived. There before them stood Tarquin, grinning the most evil grin they had ever seen on him. Which was quite an accomplishment, given the overall depth and vastness of his evil.

"Welcome, Kate!" he barked maliciously. "I hope you've slept well, because you're about to face the greatest challenge of your life! One false step, and you won't make it out alive!"

Kate was not in the mood to banter today. "Just cut the suspenseful build-up, Tarquin! Let's get straight to the challenge!"

Tarquin shrugged. "Suit yourself." And he stepped aside.

Now, before the wolves, was the largest gorge they had ever seen. It stretched for what seemed to be miles, all the way to the Beaufort Sea far in the distance. And as for width, this was not much better. The walls of the gorge were separated far apart, so far that you would not suppose them to be parts of the same structure. And as for depth, the wolves could already tell that this gorge was deep. If anything, it was more like a canyon than a gorge, a canyon which led to the very center of the Earth and then some.

Suddenly, the general mood of merrymaking was gone. The Jasper wolves now knew that Tarquin might just have found something to defeat Kate's famous abilities.

Tarquin silently laughed at their reactions. "So, Kate, what do you think of your challenge? This is a little place we in the North like to call the Bottomless Gorge. Nobody really knows how deep it goes, nobody's ever made it out to tell the tale, but you can rest assured that one slip will ensure your agonizing death somewhere far below."

Tarquin motioned downward with his scepter to emphasize the point. "It's the perfect place to dispose of enemies and undesirables."

He then walked up to Kate and whispered in her ear. "And I should know. I dropped my father down this gorge and haven't seen him since! Ha ha ha!"

"You're insane!" Kate barked in shock.

Tarquin shrugged. "Maybe, but I'll be the one who's still alive at the end of the day. I doubt you will, because your challenge – since we all know how gifted you are in acrobatics – is to cross this gorge from here all the way to the end down at the Beaufort Sea without falling to your death. If you do that, you'll win. But nobody's ever done that before, just so you know."

He then walked away to let Kate have her last moments with her family. He considered himself merciful in such respects.

Kate stepped to the edge of the gorge into the primordial blackness below. A frightened grimace appeared across her face. Humphrey now came up behind her.

"Well, look on the bright side, Kate," he said with a smile. "This gorge can't be worse than the obstacle courses on one of those 'extreme challenge' shows. I bet it's not even bottomless!"

He picked up a small stone and dropped it down into the gorge. Both Humphrey and Kate listened for the reverberations of the stone hitting the bottom. Those reverberations never came.

"Okay, maybe it is bottomless," he said with a nervous smile.

Unexpectedly, Kate smiled back. "Thanks anyway for trying to cheer me up, Humphrey. You've always been there when I needed you. I want you to know that I could never love anyone like I love you."

Suddenly, Humphrey's whole expression changed from his usual happy one to one of frightful concern. "Kate, you sound like… you're saying goodbye."

Kate nodded gently. "I am saying goodbye, Humphrey. I'm not going to make it out of this gorge, I just know it. But before I go out, I want you to know that, after everything, I've always appreciated that you stood by me no matter what."

But Humphrey was not ready to hear this. He shook his head furiously. "No, Kate, you are not going to die here! You're going to come out of this alive and better than ever! You have to believe that! If you don't believe that, what's the point of even trying? Kate, you've never given up on anything before. Don't give up now!"

Kate smiled wearily. "You don't understand, Humphrey. It's different this time."

"You're right, Kate, I don't understand," Humphrey responded. "How is it different?"

"Because this time, I deserve to die," Kate answered softly.

Lilly now came up to Kate. "Sis, before you go to do this… to do this thing… is there anything you wanted to say to me?"

Kate looked nervously down at her sister. Lilly was wearing her hair back, as she always did these days, and Kate could clearly see her shining eyes. They looked into each other's eyes and Kate saw something there that she was not used to seeing in Lilly's lavender lights. Something that scared her. Lilly knew something, Kate realized, and was looking for a certain answer. Even at the point of death, it was not an answer Kate was willing to give.

Instead, she hesitated. "Lilly, I…. No, I don't think so."

"Oh," Lilly said as she looked away in disappointment. "It's just that, this whole trip, I've had the feeling that there was something you needed to tell me but never did. I guess I was wrong again. I'm such a silly Omega." When she said this last part, her voice nearly dropped down to a mournful whisper.

Lilly turned away and walked back toward Garth. And Kate realized that this was her last chance to make amends. If she was going to die, she could at least die in grace. She had to tell her sister everything. "Lilly, wait! I did want to say–"

Just as Lilly halted in her tracks and looked back to see how Kate would finish that statement, a hopeful though frightened fire dancing in her eyes, Tarquin came up behind Kate.

"Come on, let's get on with it!" he shouted.

And before Kate could get all her words out, he swiped at her four legs with his scepter, knocking her off of them and into the gorge below.

As her friends and family screamed above, Kate fell into the darkness of the gorge. She felt as though she could not even spread her legs to try and save herself. She felt as though she did not truly want to do so. She felt ready to let the darkness swallow her alive and devour her soul.

But then something inside her kicked her back to life. It was not so much her own pride as the sudden realization that her friends and family still depended on her. Whatever happened to her, she could not let them down by giving in. She would not let them down. She would not give in!

Kate kicked out her back foot and found a small rock. It was all she needed to perform a proper ricochet. She was soon flying upward, nearly to the top of the gorge. Kate quickly grabbed another rock and shot herself higher. Flying out of and above the gorge, Kate did a wheeling flip through the air, exciting gasps of both relief and admiration from her friends and family.

But she could not come out yet, she knew, so she dropped back into the gorge. She grabbed hold of rock after rock, using them to propel her along its length. As she did so, Kate reflected how easy this challenge was after all.

That was until she realized that Tarquin had purposely started her at the rugged side of the chasm. She now found that the walls were getting smoother and smoother. She would no longer be able to just bounce from rock to rock. She would actually have to use her speed and momentum to propel herself from wall to wall in order to survive.

Somewhere high above her, Tarquin smiled, knowing that Kate was starting to face the true challenge of the chasm.

Kate knew it would require just the right amount of stored-up kinetic force to get her through. She could only pray that she had had enough time to store that force up.

Choosing her spot carefully, Kate pushed herself to the first completely smooth part of the gorge. Immediately, she kicked off and propelled herself to the other side of the chasm. In mid-air, she flipped around to give herself enough momentum to successfully reach the other side.

However, she had now fallen down several meters. Kate knew she would have to do better if she wanted to survive the length of the gorge. So she kicked off again but this time aimed herself higher, reaching a part of the other end somewhat nearer to the top.

This continued for some time as Kate went back and forth, up and down, just managing to stay perilously within the proper range to keep going.

The Jasper wolves, at first cautiously but now enthusiastically, cheered her on.  
They were now all certain she would succeed. All but Lilly, who merely sulked and looked on moodily. What nobody else realized, but which she did, was that Tarquin would never have chosen something so simple for Kate's challenge. There must be more to it than meets the eye, whether that eye be golden-brown or lavender.

"It looks like she might make it, sir," Justin whispered to Tarquin, who had resumed his seat on his high boulder so as to better see Kate's progress.

Tarquin laughed evilly. "Justin, you did put in those '_enhancements_' I asked for, didn't you?"

"Yes, but…."

"Then there is no way she can make it. You mark my words!"

Kate continued forcefully, not realizing that she was now leaving her friends' and enemies' sight. Despite the continuous danger of her situation, her spirits were rising as she understood that she must be nearly halfway across the course.

And it seemed as though she would be blessed by fortune. For Kate now saw a number of long vines pouring from above into the cavern. She thanked her guardian spirits for this sudden and unexpected gift. It would make her journey that much easier.

Kate smiled as she grasped for the first vine and prepared to swing herself lightly along the remainder of the chasm. She could not believe how quickly this course would end in her favor. She took the vine into her mouth and moved to swing. But when she did so, she began to descend rapidly toward the darkness. The vine had been cut!

Kate quickly grasped another vine, but that one merely came down on top of her as well. All the vines had been cut and as Kate grabbed for each one, they all came down, entangling her hopelessly so that she could barely move.

She fell deeper and deeper into the darkness, the vines tying her to her fate below. How could she escape this now? There was no way, for the sky and the sun above were quickly becoming little more than a crack in a cavern of darkness.

Kate let out a hopeless scream as she saw this. Her dream vision of that morning had come flooding back to her as reality. And this time, there would be no escaping.

Even if she managed to free herself and reach the walls of the cavern – not impossible, considering that this gorge was supposed to be bottomless – she would still be too far from the top to ever lift herself out. She was doomed.

Kate closed her eyes and quietly accepted her fate.

But then, suddenly, surprisingly, she felt herself smack against something and be thrown up. She came down slightly and settled comfortably into whatever was beneath her. Kate cautiously opened her eyes to see that she had been caught in more vines. But these vines, rather than being cut, had been tied together to form a net.

Kate forced herself to her feet and carefully shook of the vines wrapped around her. Her eyes adjusting to the darkness, she found her bearings. She was rather far down the cavern, but it would not be impossible, with the right footwork, to get out again. Kate smiled; it could have been much worse.

But how did this net get here? Kate wondered. It had clearly not been placed there by Tarquin or the goons he must have sent to cut the vines. For he would not have set a trap for her merely to save her in the end. Something else must be going on. But what? Who else could have done this?

Kate began to wonder whether or not this was some sort of miracle, a gracious gift from the spirits of the earth to Jasper's champion. But then she noticed something scrawled upon the wall of the cave, right beside the net.

There was the Sun! The familiar Sun, with its eight rays stretching toward eight silver stars – or where they lilies? (It was too dark to tell.) – and with the dove rising high above it. Kate's jaw dropped as she saw this.

And she read the inscription above it, "Quickly and Soon!"

And the one below it, "Rienzi was here. Signed, Pico."

Kate could not understand it, but she knew that, whoever this was, they must have been with her since the beginning. Somebody was looking out for the interests of Jasper Park. And, whether their motives where fair or foul, Kate could not help but be thankful to them in this moment.

But there was no more time to think about this. Kate had to get out of the cavern and into the sun! She could not let her family down, not after coming this far!

Seeing a good ledge to begin her ascent, Kate took a moment to collect herself and then, using the springy net of vines like a trampoline, jumped from them and onto the ledge in a spectacular bound. As she flipped over her head and back onto her feet, Kate regretted that no one would ever get to see what was surely one of her ten greatest maneuvers.

But no time to worry about that now. Every second was vital. Kate had just enough room to break into a run, allowing herself to restore her lost momentum and move higher and higher along the walls of the cavern.

High above, the Jasper and Yukon wolves walked by on their way toward the finish. None of them had seen Kate for a considerable amount of time and the common verdict among friend and foe was that she must have slipped and fallen to her doom among primeval darkness.

Tarquin clapped his paws together in joy. "You see, Justin, you see! It was a good idea I had to cut those vines! That doomed Kate for sure!" He did not even bother to hide his voice from our heroes.

Humphrey immediately turned on him. He ran up to the Emperor's boulder and placed his forepaws as high upon it as he could. He looked Tarquin directly in the eyes, his happy-go-lucky gaze now gone completely and replaced with pure anger. "You cut those vines? What is wrong with you? She had enough of a challenge without you interfering! That's cheating! You cheated because you knew you couldn't beat her fairly! Kate was the greatest wolf who ever lived and you knew that, so you had to cheat!"

"Oh, shut up!" Tarquin barked as he smacked Humphrey with his scepter, the diamond tip drawing blood along his cheek.

Humphrey fell to the ground, but was not beaten. He was about to give Tarquin more of the same, when Lilly rushed over and grabbed a hold of him.

"No, Humphrey, don't," Lilly whispered. "Kate may still be alive. Have faith in her. She may have escaped the trap somehow. You just have to have faith!"

Humphrey looked into Lilly's eyes and knew she was right. By letting Tarquin incite his anger, Humphrey knew he was admitting that he had given up on Kate. And he could not let himself give up on Kate. If there was one thing in this world he believed in, it was her, and he had never given up on her. He would not start now.

Nor did he need to, for as he got to his feet, a golden-tan blur rushed up from the gorge. Kate twirled and whirled, perned and gyred under the sun. Cheers erupted from Humphrey, Lilly, Garth, Hutch, and even Can-do, Claw, and Scar.

The only one who did not cheer was Edgar. "Oh great, now she's going to win! There goes my latest bet!"

"You're betting against us again?" Garth remarked in anger.

Edgar shook his head. "Come on, sir, I'm smarter than that. I bet on her to win, but not this fast. If she keeps going at this rate, I'll still get cleared out!"

Garth just looked at him in disbelief. "Honestly, Edgar, I'll never understand how your betting system works."

"I wouldn't want you to," Edgar responded, "or else you might steal it!"

Garth was so stunned by this pronouncement that he did not know how to answer. "There's really… no real chance of me ever wanting to do that. Ever."

"Eh, you're not smart enough to operate it, anyway," Edgar muttered dismissively.

Garth glared at him, rather nonplussed. "Edgar, when we get back to Jasper, remind me to look up the Ancient Greek alphabet so I can figure out what to demote you to next."

Edgar nodded. "Okay, will do, sir!"

Kate made her way back down, but managed to kick off a high rock so that she remained in sight of everyone else. She was heartened to hear their cheers and knew that nothing could stop her now.

"You may have survived that, Kate," Tarquin whispered in anger, "but that's not the last trick I have for you. What I've got next, you'll never survive."

Kate was soon out of sight of everyone again. She had zoomed into the final stretch of the chasm and could see the Beaufort Sea not far ahead of her. She began to hum to herself the old song about "the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea" as she sailed swiftly and gently ahead.

Nothing could stop her now, or so she thought. Kate looked to see a large rock hanging out from the wall. It was the first one she had seen along the smooth gorge in a long time and she knew it would make her task much easier. She propelled herself toward it and grabbed a hold of it with her paw, intending to shoot herself a little farther along.

She immediately retracted her paw in pain. Blood spewed out of her pads and into the darkness below. Spikes! Spikes had been concealed just behind the rock and when Kate had touched it, they had cut into her toes.

Kate's mind flashed in panic. She knew that with her paw injured, she would not be able to continue at the same pace and dexterity she had commanded before. And without it, she had a much lower chance of making her way to the end. But she had to go on. It was the only thing she could do.

Kate forced herself to keep going, the pain in her paw getting stronger with every ricochet she pulled off. It was affecting her performance now, as she was no longer capable of pushing herself along with great force and thus her leaps were becoming shorter and shorter. Kate tried to compensate by spinning and flipping more, building up momentum to offset her new deficiency. But it only partially helped. She was still losing ground with every leap.

Finally, as Kate slammed against one of the walls, she knew she could go no longer. If her paw had a mouth, it would now have been screaming in pain. She could not leap anymore; the pain was too great.

Kate quickly tried to dig her claws into the wall and, luckily, found this section just rough enough to allow her to do it. But she realized it would not hold for long, as she was already beginning to slide slowly but inexorably downward. She was now not far from the top of the gorge, but the pain was too great for her to even try to climb upward.

Kate was stuck. Once again, there seemed to be no way out.

"Grab my paw!" shouted someone above her.

In sheer surprise, Kate looked up, her widening golden eyes meeting a pair of blue eyes between her and the sun. There stood a strong and powerful-looking wolf, slightly smaller than Garth but still impressive. His maroon fur provided a soothing contrast to the grey sky above and dark chasm below. But somehow, Kate felt he looked familiar.

"Do I… _know you_?" she asked.

"No time to talk," he said. "Tarquin will be here any minute. Grab my paw with your uninjured one and I'll help you up."

"But how do I know I can trust you?" Kate asked.

As soon as she had said it, part of the wall gave way, causing her to slide down a little more.

"Right now, you don't have much choice!" he answered.

Kate knew he was right. So she grabbed his paw.

He lifted her up and brought her to the ledge. Once he had done so, they both took a breather.

"I…. Thank you," Kate said earnestly.

But the other wolf was not paying attention. Rather, he was looking around at the surrounding trees. "Can you run?" he asked.

"I should be able to," Kate said. She then got up and stood on all fours, immediately falling off-balance as her injured paw refused to hold her.

"Here, let me help," the other wolf said. He quickly tore a large leaf off of a nearby tree and wrapped it around Kate's paw.

"That won't stop the pain, but it should prevent more cutting and bleeding, which will make the pain bearable," he said.

Kate smiled playfully. "You know, I do know how a bandage works!"

He merely shook his head slightly. "You're just like her."

Kate tilted her head. "Just like who?"

The maroon wolf seemed almost insulted by the remark. He got up and fiercely shook the thought out of his head. "Somebody I once did this for, a long time ago. But that's not important. What is important is that we get you to the finish line before Tarquin realizes what is up."

Kate wanted to ask more of this mysterious individual. She wanted to know why he was helping her and if he was the same one who had prepared the net that caught her back in the gorge. But she recognized that they had too little time to discuss these questions. So she accepted his reticence for now and followed him through the woods.

He was right, her paw still hurt, but she could ignore it for now. Kate was good at ignoring pain; it was one of the things an Alpha was trained for, after all. And she found that, though her paw was still in agony, she could at least ignore it for the duration of the race. For her family, she could.

Soon enough, they were at the end of the gorge overlooking the Beaufort Sea.

"This is where I leave you," the maroon wolf said. "You had better get back into there so that when Tarquin arrives, you can come out and it'll look like you did everything on your own."

"But wait, why are you helping me?" Kate asked as he began to run off. She never got an answer. He was gone.

But now, Kate heard more pawsteps coming her way. Many more. She knew it must be the large crowd following her progress. Quickly, Kate leapt down toward a ledge she caught sight of at the edge of the gorge. She listened and waited for the crowd of friends and foes, Jasper and Klondike wolves, to arrive at the end.

Once she was certain that they had done so, Kate dug her claws into the walls and began to climb. The first things she saw as she neared the top were Humphrey and Lilly's smiling faces beaming down like the sun upon her. She smiled back. Kate knew now that, as long as they were with her, she would have the strength to go on. She would have the strength to survive.

Using that strength, Kate lifted herself upward and upward until she finally crawled out of the chasm and onto the ledge above. Cheers erupted from her family and friends as they crowded around her. Humphrey and Lilly lifted her up and gave her a large, celebratory hug. Even Garth came over and joined in.

This only lasted until Garth and Humphrey realized that they were now also hugging each other. Both of them then quickly retracted themselves from the embrace.

But Lilly held on to Kate. "I knew you could do it, sis!" she cried. "No matter what happened, I had faith in you! I knew you could do it!"

Kate smiled as she hugged her back. "You did, Lilly, even when I didn't think I could do it myself. I could never ask for a better sister than you."

"And I could never ever ever ask for a greater sister than you, Kate," Lilly said as she squeezed her even tighter. Kate was surprised once again at Lilly's strength as the warm embrace was now becoming something like a bear-hug on the white wolf's part.

"And guess what?" Edgar proclaimed happily. "Kate took just long enough that she fell into the interval I bet she'd arrive in. I just won just enough to clear all my debts! Isn't that great?"

"Shut up, Edgar!" Claw, Scar, and Can-do shouted together.

"You'll just get them all back anyway," Garth remarked. "So why should we care?"

"Ah, come on, isn't anybody happy for me?" Edgar said. He now approached Claw. "Miss Claw, aren't you happy for me?"

He quickly received a fist to the face for his troubles. "I do not look like a guy!" Claw growled.

As Tarquin looked on at this scene, he did not hide the fact that he was fuming with anger. How could Kate have survived all of his snares? Tarquin wondered. It could not have been possible. He could not have failed in his carefully-placed entrapments. There must be some other explanation.

Then he noticed the leafy bandage on Kate's paw. He pointed at it with his scepter and said snidely, "I didn't know that type of leaf grew in the dark gorge!"

Kate looked over Lilly's shoulder at her own paw, still wrapped in the bandage. Lilly turned her own head to look at it, as did all of the Jasper wolves.

Kate glared at Tarquin. But then, surprisingly, she smiled. "And how would you know, if nobody before me as come out of there alive? I could have found some things you never knew about. And at least I'm not the one placing spikes along the course."

"Spikes!" Lilly, Humphrey, Garth, and Hutch said together.

"It really is just like one of those 'extreme challenge' shows," Humphrey remarked.

Kate let go of Lilly and approached Tarquin. "Yeah. Guess what, somebody still isn't playing fair! So, as I see it, he has no real right to complain about my methods of taking care of myself! 'Cause as far as I or anyone else can tell, I won this competition fair and square, as fair as possible!"

Tarquin grumbled, but he knew that Kate was right. He could not definitively say that that leaf had been nowhere in the chasm, so he could not disqualify Kate for breaking the rules. Once again, she had seemed to outsmart him. And Tarquin hated when Kate did that.

He merely mumbled something under his breath and gestured for his wolves to take him away. He did not even stay long enough to reveal which of the Jasper wolves would face his next challenge. For all our heroes knew, there might not be another challenge now that Tarquin's main goal of killing Kate had been foiled. And that was an additional cause for celebration.

"Come on, guys, let's go home," Kate said triumphantly.

"You know, sis, mom taught me a few of her healing techniques," Lilly said, gently lifting up Kate's paw in her own. "I could probably clean your cuts and make sure they don't get infected."

Kate nodded at her. "You do that, Lilly. I'll let you do that."

Lilly smiled softly and let go of Kate's paw. Garth had already begun to lead the party back toward their den, and Lilly now followed him. She looked one last time over her shoulder so that half her face was visible. She smiled again at her sister and added a wink of the eye.

Kate grinned and waved in response. She now noticed that only Humphrey had remained by her side.

As they sat together, Kate said, "I have to tell her now, don't I?"

"Yep," Humphrey answered quietly.

Kate nodded. Her smile transmuted into a look of steely determination. She knew what she had to do. Her prayers had been answered. She had been spared for a reason. And the reason must be, Kate thought, so that Lilly can finally know the truth about what happened that tragic day so many years ago. Kate knew it was her duty, her destiny even, to finally tell her sister all.

"Okay, I'll do it," she said. "As soon as we get back, I'll tell Lilly everything."

* * *

***This section is intended as a retelling of the famous "Allegory of the Cave" expounded by Socrates in the _Republic _of Plato.**

* * *

**Jasper: 3**

**Yukon: 2**

* * *

**Would Kate finally reveal all to Lilly?**

**And how would Lilly respond?**

**Will their bonds of sisterly affection endure or be rent in twain?**

**Is our heroes' journey coming to a turning point?**

**Read on.**


	24. The Secret

**This is the chapter you've been waiting for, as a dreadful secret finally sees the light of day.**

**Kate has to share it with Lilly, but how shall Lilly respond?**

**Can she handle it or will it destroy her?**

**Read on to find out.**

* * *

"I can't believe you made it all through the gorge all on your own!" Ginger squealed. "No one's ever been able to do that before!"

"I could have done it," Lance said, obviously quite offended by Ginger's suggestion.

"Then why don't you go down there and prove it?" Ginger taunted.

Lance shuffled nervously. "Just never… just never got the opportunity, is all."

Ginger rolled her eyes at this response.

Kate had just been telling them of her amazing exploits in the day's challenge while Lilly cleaned and rebandaged her paw. Though Kate, being an Alpha and proud of it, usually loved to brag about her accomplishments to anyone who would listen (and many who would not), today she wished everyone would just stop talking about them. For she now had something quite different on her mind; a matter more serious and much graver than any of the dangers of the past week could ever have been.

As Lilly gently, kindly, rinsed Kate's paw, sisterly love evident in her every action, Kate could not help but feel extremely guilty. Watching Lilly take such selfless care of her, Kate remembered how her own selfishness had ruined Lilly's life. And Lilly, poor, innocent Lilly, had never even suspected a thing. But that was all about to change.

Kate looked past Lilly to Humphrey, who was eyeing the two of them with concern. He remembered Kate's promise and Kate knew he was wondering when she would fulfill it. His eyes seemed to be asking her if she was backing down from her vow. Kate tried to send back a look of determination so that Humphrey would know that she was still very serious about what she had to do.

Then Kate looked over to Garth. He was watching Lilly work with incredible pride. Kate could tell how much he truly loved her for, even though he had no clue or interest about the healing arts, every time Lilly moved to another part of her process, he would elbow Lance and whisper, "That's my girl!" He was so enthralled by everything Lilly did that he never noticed how annoyed Lance was at every such intrusion into his personal space.

Kate knew that Garth was the one who had turned Lilly's life around after she herself had done her unintentional best to ruin it utterly. She knew that Garth's love had given Lilly the courage to stand up in the world despite the lowly position Kate's mistakes had marked out for her. Garth had been able to do something for her sister that she never could; he gave Lilly her life back. And for that, Kate would be eternally grateful to him.

Garth, as he watched Lilly, briefly locked eyes with Kate instead. At this moment, Kate mouthed the words 'Thank you,' leaving Garth completely confused as to her meaning. But Kate knew, maybe better than anyone, just what a difference he had made.

But Kate also knew that, the longer she prolonged it, the harder it would be to say what she needed to say. She had kept it a secret her whole life, and that was why it was becoming so hard now. Wait any longer, Kate told herself, and you might lose your nerve. And losing her nerve was a sensation Kate never wanted to be familiar with.

It was now or never.

"You should have seen the look on Tarquin's sour-puss when he got back!" Ginger said with a giddy chuckle. "It was like he had just been told they're discontinuing his favorite flavor of ice-cream!"

"Yeah, that's great, Ginger," Kate said, not really paying that much attention. "But do you and Lance mind leaving us alone for a little while? We've got some private pack business to attend to."

"What, you think we can't be trusted?" Lance asked, upset by Kate's words. "So you're just going to shoe us out of here like rotten caribou-meat? That's friendship for you!"

Ginger put a comforting paw on his shoulder. "It's okay, Lance, it's okay. They're right. We're not part of their pack, so we shouldn't be prying into their business."

Lance shook his head. "No, Ginger, it is not okay. They should not be treating you… I mean, us, like this."

Ginger sighed. "You just say that because you're an Alpha. But we Omegas are used to not getting our own way."

"Well, it's time it stopped!" Lance barked. "Ginger, you need to stand up for yourself! Isn't this pack here supposed to be the one that promotes equality between Alphas and Omegas? Isn't it?"

Ginger nodded sadly. "I know. I've seen the movie, too, Lance. But this isn't about being Alphas and Omegas, it's about being outsiders."

Kate was beginning to feel as though her words had just made everything worse. "Guys, it's not like that at all! It's just that we have some things of a private nature to discuss."

"Sis," Lilly said, "maybe we should just let them stay. They're our friends after all." She knew what it was like to be excluded and she would never wish that experience on anybody else, no matter the reasons. So in her book, if Lance and Ginger wanted to stay, they should be allowed to stay.

But now, Humphrey stepped forward. "Actually, I think Kate's right. I'm sure Ginger and Lance would find what we have to talk about completely boring. You know, just the weekly caribou-ration report followed by a lively discussion of which post-cards we should send back to Jasper. That sort of thing."

Humphrey knew very well that it was not that sort of thing, but he recognized that it would be easier for Kate to tell Lilly all if only Jasper wolves were present.

Nevertheless, his humor made Ginger smile and even got Lance to calm down somewhat.

"Okay, in that case, maybe we will take a walk around the valley," Ginger said. "After all, it's lovely this time of day. Don't you think so, Lance?"

"What? Oh, yeah," Lance said. He could not help resenting the brusqueness of Kate's request, but the chance to walk alone with Ginger through the valley was too great to pass up. "Right, you're absolutely right, Ginger. Let's go! Bye, everyone."

"Toodles," Ginger added as the two Klondike wolves left the den and disappeared along the path.

"Sis, they didn't need to leave," Lilly said once they were gone. "They weren't hurting anyone."

Kate now got up and started walking toward the open air herself. "Lilly, can you come with me, please?"

Lilly sensed from the tone of Kate's voice – which was trying and failing to sound casual – that something was up. She slowly, cautiously followed her big sister.

And so did Humphrey. He passed by Lilly, giving her a comforting look on the way (which did no good, by-the-by), and walked beside Kate. Garth, completely confused, made to catch up with Lilly. The Betas all followed at a respectful distance.

They walked up a little side-path that took them to an isolated cliff at a slightly higher elevation than their own den. Though small, the cliff had enough room for them to stand together comfortably. The Betas instinctively made a circle around Kate and Lilly, while Humphrey positioned himself behind the white Omega. Garth stopped beside him.

"Stay here with me," Humphrey whispered to Garth. "It may take both of us to clean this up."

"Clean what up?" Garth whispered back with alarm. "What is this about, Humphrey?"

"Sorry, everyone," Kate said, "but I just couldn't think straight in that stuffy den."

"Sis, what's this about?" Lilly asked, her voice trembling.

Kate purposefully locked her amber eyes with Lilly's lavender ones. This would not be easy, but she was going to try to make it as comfortable as she could for both herself and Lilly. She tried to give Lilly a reassuring look, but the anxiety in Lilly's eyes told her that her sister was not going for it.

Kate sighed. There was nothing for it but to just let it out.

"The thing is, Lilly," she began quietly, "I need to talk to you about our sister. About Melanie."

Kate waited for some type of response from Lilly. A gasp, a tear, a sigh, anything. But Lilly just stood there, her eyes locked onto Kate with great intensity. Behind her, all the Betas were muttering, as Betas are want to do, but that was of no concern to Kate right now. All her focus had to be on Lilly.

Kate put a paw on Lilly's shoulder and rubbed it gently. She hoped this would lighten the mood and emphasize the bond she still shared with her sister. But she was horrified to find that Lilly did not respond to her touch at all. Lilly just kept looking into her eyes.

Kate pulled back her paw and sighed. She looked away, turned her face to the ground, and closed her eyes. "Lilly," she said, "this is going to be hard for you to hear. But the truth is, you didn't kill Melanie. I did."

Gasps from all the Betas. Garth himself began to look queasy. Humphrey smiled at Kate to encourage her, but as she was not looking up, it did no good. But Lilly was as unresponsive as a stone.

The poet Yeats has written, "Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart,"***** and that is what seemed to have happened to Lilly at this juncture. All that could be seen in her was coldness and numbness. Whatever she felt in her heart of hearts, it was imperceptible to the world outside herself.

"I'm sorry, Lilly," Kate continued. "I am so sorry. I killed Melanie. Accidentally… I accidentally knocked her off the log-bridge and to the valley floor. It was all my fault. But I was so young and so scared and I had never messed up anything before. So I blamed you. I didn't know what else to do, Lilly, so I blamed you. And that's why you've been treated like an untouchable your whole life. It was all my fault. And for that, Lilly, I'll be sorry until the day I die. But try to understand how I never meant–"

Kate's head suddenly went flying back as she nearly toppled to the ground. She held her paw to her mouth – her good paw – and pulled it back. There, she saw blood. Kate once again was reminded of Lilly's hidden strength. She had just delivered a right hook that had drawn blood from the toughest Alpha in western Canada.

Kate now recovered herself and turned back to Lilly. "Now, Lilly, I know you're upset, but–"

Her head was promptly knocked backward yet again as Lilly delivered another right hook.

Alright, no more Miss Nice Alpha, Kate thought. She knew she could never bring herself to hurt Lilly, but she had to use her strength to keep Lilly from hurting her.

"Lilly, stop that!" Kate commanded as she turned around once again.

Lilly immediately went for another right hook. But Kate was ready this time. She caught it in her own left paw. Lilly, seeing this, was undaunted and attempted to go for a left hook. Kate caught this in her right paw.

Holding the upper paw at last, Kate could now afford to try to reason with her sister. "Now, Lilly, why don't we both calm down and talk this out like mature, rational, pack-lead – ah!"

Realizing that both forepaws were held irretrievably in Kate's tight grip, Lilly had resorted to using one of her back paws. She swung it around and delivered a powerful side-kick to Kate's abdomen. Kate immediately let go of Lilly's paws to instinctively grasp at her own side. At this point, Lilly cupped her two forepaws together and delivered a massive right hammer that knocked Kate to the ground completely.

Just as Lilly was about to kick Kate when she was down, Humphrey and Garth ran up and grabbed hold of her from each side.

"Am I seeing things right?" Can-do said. "Did Kate just get her butt kicked by _Lilly_?"

"It looks that way," Hutch muttered.

Edgar threw up a paw in disgust. "Great, and there goes my bet that Miss Kate would win any fight between them. Thanks for a whole lot of nothing, Miss Kate!"

"Which means you're once again in debt to us," Claw said as she and Scar smiled and high-threed. "Our bet was on Miss Lilly this whole time!"

"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Lilly shouted.

By this time, Kate had gotten to her feet. Blood was pouring out of her mouth, but she knew she could not focus on it now. She had to make Lilly understand. "Lilly, I didn't mean for everything to happen like it did."

"How can you say that?" Lilly shouted furiously, her bangs bouncing back and forth out of her eyes as she furiously struggled to get free of Garth and Humphrey. "You ruined my whole life! It's because of you that I was always excluded, always ignored, always treated like I didn't exist! Even by my own parents! You told them that lie and that's why they never loved me!"

Kate was taken aback. Somehow, even after all that had happened, she did not expect this venom from her sweet, innocent sister. "But… sis… I told them the truth. After it all happened, I came clean. I told them everything. But they said it was better for the pack if I was an Alpha and you were an Omega. So they thought it was better to let you believe you had done it."

Lilly had stopped struggling. She had become motionless and still. "Mom… and dad… did that? They did that to me?"

"Lilly, you can't blame them," Kate said. "They were doing what was best for the pack!"

Lilly's eyes started to fill with tears. But these were tears not of sorrow, but of anger. "They did that to me? They knew the truth and they still cursed me to live like this, to be the shame and embarrassment of the pack? They hated me the whole time! I always knew they did!"

"No, Lilly, mom and dad love you!" Kate shouted back, genuinely alarmed at how see seemed to just be making the situation worse with every word. "They love you as much as they love me! It's just… it's been hard on them. I don't think either of them could ever fully look you in the eyes knowing what they were doing. I knew I couldn't!"

Lilly let out a loud growl, a sound no one had ever heard her make before. "How dare they do this to me! How dare you do this to me! I am not just an Omega! I am not just a white wolf! Why can't any of you understand that? I spent my whole life wondering why God had made me so wrong, why I was such a horrible person, even though I never did anything but love! And all this time, it wasn't me, it was you and mom and dad and the rest of our selfish, uncaring pack!"

"She is such a drama queen," Humphrey said with a goofy smile, trying to lighten the mood.

At which point, Lilly growled again and backpawed him. This knocked Humphrey away, but Garth still held on tight. He grabbed around her rib-cage as hard as he could, trying to keep her from escaping.

"Garth, you're hurting me!" Lilly screamed.

This was enough to fill Garth with self-hating terror and cause him to immediately draw back. He pulled away from Lilly completely, completely horrified at what he had just done.

Now free of his clutches, Lilly let out another frenzied scream and lunged for Kate. Before Kate could even realize what was happening, Lilly had knocked her to the ground and was on top of her, with her paws around her throat.

Garth immediately went to check on Humphrey, who was now nursing a nose-bleed of his own. He knew that Lilly needed to be stopped, but he could not bring himself to possibly hurt her again. So instead he looked to the Betas.

"Hutch, Can-do, aren't you going to do something?" he asked.

Both of them just sat there, motionless.

"No way," Can-do said.

"No way? No way?" Garth responded in disbelief. "Your pack leaders are about to kill each other and you won't do a thing to stop it?"

"With all due respect, sir," Hutch said, "to get in the middle of fight between Eve's two daughters when they're angry would be tantamount to suicide. And I like my lungs too much for that."

Garth's jaw dropped. He now turned imploringly to his own Betas. "Claw, Scar, Edgar, what about you?"

"Hit her again! Hit her again! Hit her again!" all three shouted as Lilly delivered repeated left and right fists to Kate's cranium.

Kate now grabbed a hold of Lilly's paws. "Please, Lilly, let's just handle this with talking, not fighting! That's what Alphas and Omegas are supposed to do, right?"

Kate had clearly not learned not to bring up the fact of Lilly's Omega-status when her sister was in a rage. More importantly, she had not learned her lesson from the last time she had held back Lilly's paws.

Lilly simply growled again in response to Kate's request. Then she pulled her head back so that all of her mane, bangs and curls and the rest, went flying out behind her. It would have been a beautiful, majestic sight if Lilly had not immediately thereafter swung her head back down to make vicious contact with Kate's.

This stunned Kate enough to make her let go of Lilly's paws. At which point, Lilly resumed punching her repeatedly.

Finally, despite his nosebleed, Humphrey jumped in and grabbed Lilly. Showing surprising strength of his own, he managed to pull Lilly off of her sister. Lilly was still swinging at the air as Humphrey drew her back towards Garth.

"Come on, Lilly, it's alright," Humphrey said. "Kate's already suffered enough from all the guilt at what she did to you. You don't need to add physical pain to it. Come on, where's the kind, gentle Lilly we know, the Lilly who couldn't even squash a spider?"

"That Lilly lived a lie!" Lilly shouted back as she tried to break free of Humphrey's grip again. "That Lilly is dead!"

"Don't say that, Lilly," Humphrey said calmly despite the fact that he had to constantly maneuver his body away from Lilly's furious elbow-strikes. "Kate loves you and I know you still love her. Believe me, she's agonized about this for a long time. I mean, when we talked about it, I had to hold her to literally keep her from going to pieces!"

Humphrey knew he had said something wrong as soon as those words were out. Lilly had gone limp in his forelegs. He knew that it was not because he had calmed her down. He had calmed down enough wolves to know what that felt like. Rather, the sensation he got from holding her was that someone had poked a hole in her heart and let all the air out. And Humphrey knew that someone was him.

He gently let go of her and she slowly turned toward him. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was devastated.

"You… you knew?" she asked quietly.

Humphrey was now certain her had done something wrong. "Yeah, but–"

"You knew and you didn't tell me?" Lilly continued. "But I thought you were my best friend."

"Lilly, I am your best friend," Humphrey said. "And I wanted to tell you, but Kate said–"

"You knew it and you never bothered to tell me," Lilly said, more forcefully this time. "I thought you were my best friend, but you're just like Kate. You never really cared about me at all."

Humphrey now felt as though Lilly had driven a dagger straight through his heart. "Lilly, you're like a sister to me!"

"I _was_ a sister to Kate, and that didn't mean anything!"

Humphrey was rendered silent, his heart broken by the severity of Lilly's words. She now turned toward Garth with the same look of devastated anger.

"What?" Garth said, eyeing her nervously. "_I_ didn't know!"

"I told you!" Lilly shouted. "I told you all about this! But you refused to listen! You doubted me, you didn't believe me, you mocked me! And you dare to call yourself my mate! You're just as bad as the rest of them!"

"Lilly, don't say that," Garth pleaded. "You're the whole world to me. I… I couldn't live without you!"

"Shut up!" Lilly commanded. "You're always talking about how much you love me. But when I told you my deepest secrets and how I was worried that this might be true, you just laughed at me. I knew this, I knew this before Kate even said it. But you just laughed at me when I told you."

"I know I did, Lilly," Garth said. "I was wrong. I was so wrong. I'm sorry."

Lilly sneered. "Oh, so that's supposed to make it all better, then? You weren't there for me when I needed you, but because you're sorry, it's going to make things all better? Honestly, Garth, if the union of the packs didn't depend on it, I'd want a divorce!"

Garth was as petrified as a man who gazed upon Medusa. His mind could simply not function once that last word entered into it. It was as though he had just had a silent mental breakdown right then and there.

Lilly now turned toward Hutch and Can-do.

"Hey, don't look at us," Can-do said. "Nobody ever tells us anything."

Hutch now leaned over to say to him, "For once, I'm glad nobody ever tells us anything."

As they fist-bumped in celebratory agreement, Lilly turned toward the Eastern Betas.

"Hey, Miss Lilly," Edgar called out, "if you need a good divorce lawyer, I've been brushing up on my legal know-how lately. Between you and me, we could take Garth for everything he's got!"

"I'll testify on your behalf!" Claw said, not wanting to get on Lilly's bad side when she had just demolished a much more powerful she-wolf.

"Me too!" Scar added quickly. "I'll say he was emotionally cruel, that he beat you, that he already had a mate, whatever you want! Just don't hit me!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Lilly muttered.

And then her savage gaze fell back on Kate, who had finally gotten to her feet. Kate, being the strong Alpha that she naturally was, was more stunned by the vicious assault than anything. And what stunned her more than the actual blows was the fact that Lilly, who had never before in her whole life done anything to hurt anyone, especially not in anger, could be capable of all the pain she was inflicting now.

Kate approached Lilly, despite the still very-present danger. She put her paw on Lilly's shoulder again and tried to laugh. But it came out hollow. "My, my, sis, you're certainly our mother's daughter!"

Lilly whacked Kate's paw away with all her might. Then she proceeded to spit in Kate's face.

"Eve is not my mother," Lilly said darkly. "And don't you ever call me 'sis' again!"

Kate tried to look her in the eyes, but saw nothing of the beautiful white Omega she once knew. "Lilly, I love you," she said. "No matter what, I will always love you."

"Liar!" Lilly shouted. Then, before Kate could say more, she backpawed her. When Kate recovered from this, she saw her sister storming off past Humphrey and Garth and then down the path.

As she was leaving, Lilly paused one last time. She looked over her shoulder at Kate. After sending a long, harsh, almost evil glare her way, Lilly shouted, "I hate you! We are not sisters!"

And then she was gone. Nobody had the heart to go after her. As Kate, Humphrey, and Garth stood together in the circle, they exchanged glances. No words were needed, for they all knew the truth. Their relationships with Lilly would never be the same.

* * *

*** In "Easter, 1916"**

* * *

**Does Lilly really hate Kate?**

**Has their bond of sisterhood been ripped apart forever?**

**And what about Lilly's relationships with Humphrey and Garth?**

**Read on.**


	25. Temptation

**Welcome to the penultimate chapter of Book the Third.**

**After this one, things will never be the same again.**

* * *

As Lilly stormed off, as all the other Jasper wolves watched her go, none of them bothered to look upward to a higher cliff, where Benny was standing just out of view. As he listened to the last notes of the commotion, his snout curved into a smile.

"Interesting," he said. "The Emperor is going to want to hear about this!"

Down below, all the Jasper wolves stood in silence, each one waiting for someone else to break the awkward, perhaps even eerie, calm.

"So wait, Miss Lilly didn't murder Miss Melanie?" Edgar asked at last, displaying once more his skill for making awkward moments even more awkward.

"Oh, you finally caught on to that, did you, Columbo?" Claw said dismissively.

Edgar looked confused, perhaps even upset. He shook his head. "But, if Miss Lilly didn't murder Miss Melanie, than she's not the bloodthirsty, heartless psychopath I believed her to be! Having just seen what she did to Kate, now I have to believe that she's just a small, delicate, innocent little thing who would never hurt a fly!"

"You certainly do have an interesting way of making your conclusions, I'll give you that," Scar responded.

"But how can that be?" Edgar continued. "I'm never wrong! My conclusions and observations were always so accurate before!"

Claw raised the closest thing a wolf has to an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean the observations you used to completely miss the fact that I'm a girl?"

Edgar now stared at her blankly. "What, still?"

Claw snarled and growled. "Yes, still! I'm not a starfish; I can't change my gender whenever I feel like it!"

But by this time, Edgar had lost interest in her again. He was once more shaking his head in profound disbelief. "But this means all my basic ideas about life are wrong: Miss Claw is a girl, Miss Lilly is not a vicious, sadistic serial killer, and gambling is apparently illegal in most parts of Canada! I don't have anything to believe in anymore!"

But, this whole time, only the Betas had been truly listening to him. Garth, Humphrey, and Kate had been busy exchanging uncomfortable glances, none of them wanting to be the first one to speak but knowing that somebody had to. Finally, Garth spoke. "Well, I hope you're proud of yourself, Kate!"

Kate was offended. "You think I wanted this to happen? I would have told Lilly a long time ago except that mom and dad told me not to!"

"And do you always listen to what mom and dad say?" Garth shot back.

Humphrey put on a half-hearted smile. "Now, come on, Garth! Considering who her mother is, I think Kate has a valid point there!"

Garth looked down. He did not want to admit it, but Humphrey made a compelling argument. While he felt like he could never forgive Kate for what she did to Lilly, Garth knew that he too would never get on Eve's bad side if there was even the slightest chance of avoiding it.

"Speaking of which," Humphrey said, turning to Kate, "I've been meaning to ask you about that. Melanie's death, is that the reason your mother is–" At this point, Humphrey mimed the claws and sharp fangs of a giant, vicious monster to get his point across.

"My mother is what, Humphrey?" Kate asked, not sure what Humphrey was getting at but not enjoying the insinuation.

"You know!" Humphrey said, now going for even more exaggerated monster-type motions.

Kate shook her head slightly and glared at Humphrey. Having her Alpha tail thoroughly handed to her by the gentlest and least-threatening Omega in Canada had not robbed her of the ability to convey 'Don't cross me' with a single glance.

Humphrey was now at a loss. With a final few half-hearted gestures, he said, "Is that why's she's such a violent, rage-filled tornado of bloodshed?"

"What are you trying to say about my mother, Humphrey?" Kate asked, tapping her paw in annoyance on the ground and having completely forgotten about the rather generous serving of blood she had recently deposited there.

"Ooh, somebody's gonna get it!" Garth mumbled with much too great satisfaction.

"Oh, like you weren't wondering the same thing!" Humphrey retorted.

"Humphrey, my mate just left in a huff after demolishing her sister, breaking your nose, and, worse of all, threatening me with divorce! I've got a few more important things on my mind than Eve."

"The way I see it," Hutch said, "you two are both dead when Eve hears about this anyway."

"Funny, I don't remember asking for your opinion," Humphrey responded.

"Nobody ever asks for my opinion," Hutch replied. "That's why I'm a Beta."

"Well, since Humphrey did ask," Garth said slyly. "Fess up, Kate! Is Melanie's death what made Eve so… um…."

"Loco?" Humphrey suggested.

"Yeah, that'll do," Garth said. "Thanks, Humphrey."

Kate sighed, realizing that there was no real way to get out of this. Here was another uncomfortable thing she would have to explain. "Mom was always tough, to an extent, but I think it was Melanie's death which really pushed her over the edge. I think she was so horrified by what happened to one daughter she decided that she'd do anything to protect the other two."

Humphrey smiled in satisfaction. "Finally, the reason me and Garth have to live under constant threat of impromptu pneumonectomies. I mean, she's even started giving us lists every month of all the new and creative ways she's come up with of torturing us in the last four weeks if we even so much as look at you and Lilly wrong. It's always a very long list!"

"Supporting my argument that you and Garth don't have very long to live when Eve hears about this," Hutch interjected.

"Still not asking for your opinion," Humphrey said.

"Still not caring," Hutch replied.

"Personally, I think the big news," Can-do volunteered, "is the way in which Lilly completely annihilated Kate. I used to think Kate was the toughest wolf ever, but if she can't defend herself from Lilly, I don't know anymore."

Kate sneered. "What? I wasn't trying! I couldn't hurt my own sister, no matter what she's trying to do to me! I had no choice but to take it!"

Can-do simply blew this off. "Whatever, ma'am. That's what all the washed-up fighters say when someone better comes along."

Kate rushed into his face with surprising speed for someone with a wounded paw and a even more heavily-wounded face. "Who you callin' washed-up, huh? Certainly not me, considering that I'm your pack-leader and could have you exiled on the spot!"

"There you go again," Garth said, "throwing your title around. Isn't that what got us into this problem in the first place?"

Kate fell silent and looked to the ground in shame. She knew Garth was right. "Sorry, Can-do," she muttered.

"Guys, aren't we forgetting who the real victim is here?" Humphrey asked. "I know she pretty much totaled us all, but Lilly's the one who's really suffering! Can we blame her after what she's had to live with because of this? And then to have it all come out so suddenly, I probably would have gone just as crazy."

"Except that you punch like a girl," Garth remarked.

"Hey, Lilly punches like a girl and we're all worse for it!" Humphrey exclaimed.

"Hey, Miss Claw can do one better," Edgar said. "She actually is a girl! Even though she looks like a guy!"

"Yep, I can do one better!" Claw said with surprising enthusiasm. "You wanna see how a girl punches?"

She threw out her fist to the left and knocked Edgar out cold.

"Wanna see it again?" she asked as the look in her eyes just dared the other wolves to make an issue of it.

"Well, all I can say," Garth said, glaring at Kate, "is that I hope you're proud of yourself, Kate. After everything you did to Lilly, I hope you're proud of yourself!"

Kate shook her head in disbelief that this was all coming back around again. "But, I didn't mean to cause all this! I was just trying to do the right thing by her!"

"Yeah, after ruining her life," Garth quipped. "But I had better go get her. It's dangerous for her to be by herself in the Yukon."

He turned to go. But just as he was about to leave, he felt a paw on his shoulder. He looked to see Kate gently holding onto him.

"You're right, Garth," Kate said with as much of a smile as she could muster. "It is all my fault. I did completely wrong by Lilly and I should be the one to make it right. Please, let me talk to her first. I need to try and make things up. If I can get through to her, it'll make things easier for all of us."

Garth looked into Kate's eyes and saw that she was in earnest. He did not know what to do. Lilly was his mate, but he understood that Kate needed to do this to make everything right, for Lilly and for herself. Finally, he nodded.

"Thank you, Garth," Kate said with genuine appreciation. She then did something which no one ever expected her to do. She hugged her brother-in-law.

"Hey, group hug!" Humphrey called out as he quickly joined in.

Garth tried to wriggle out of the hug as Humphrey wrapped himself around Kate. "Um, thanks, Kate. But… um… you really should be going to catch Lilly!"

Kate nodded and began to move swiftly up the path. As she did so, she was surprised to see Humphrey right by her side. That he would want to follow her was not surprising, but that he could keep up with her and even come by her side without her seeing was truly an impressive feat.

"Hey, Humphrey, where you going?" Garth asked indignantly.

"Kate needs my emotional support," Humphrey said matter-of-factly. Then he winked and added, "Besides, somebody needs to keep order in case those two come to blows again!"

"But if you're going, I should, too!" Garth made to catch up with Humphrey and Kate.

"No, big guy, it's alright," Humphrey said. "I'll just be waiting in the background for Kate to have her heart-to-heart. Besides, I think you're the best person to keep the Betas from – I don't know – burning the mountain down or something."

Garth considered this. "Well, you've got a point there. I am the most responsible one of all of us…."

Humphrey somehow managed to sneak in an eye-roll Kate's way before turning back to Garth and saying, "Yeah, of course you are. So why don't you stay here and we'll work everything out. I promise that me and Kate will make sure nothing happens to Lilly. And you know that I always keep my promises."

Garth seemed uneasy, but he finally nodded and turned back toward the Betas. Without more words being shared, Kate and Humphrey rushed off toward in the direction Lilly had disappeared in.

Lilly sat high above the valley on a rocky outcropping. It was a secluded spot, the type she always liked to find when she needed to be alone. And now she needed to be alone more than ever.

Tears fell from Lilly's eyes in torrents. Though she was sobbing quietly, as though she thought there was someone around whom she did not want to hear, she was still releasing quite a flood. But she had every right to, all things considered.

Lilly, at this moment, hated life. Lilly, at this moment, wished she had never been born – or star-born as the case may be. Lilly, at this moment, wished she was dead.

As she cried, she thought she heard something behind her. Lilly had always been more perceptive than anyone gave her credit for and was quite capable of telling when someone was sneaking up behind her. And in these harsh northern climes, anyone in need of stealth probably had dark intentions.

"Wh-who's there?" Lilly said as she turned around, unable to hold back a further sob despite the danger she now recognized that she was in.

Much to her surprise, when she turned around, it was Tarquin that she saw.

Lilly immediately paced backward toward the cliff, unsure of what to make of this new visitor. She lowered her head and tail and arched her spine somewhat. She did not want Tarquin to know she was scared, but it was something that could not easily be hid, especially by her.

"Don't worry, little one," Tarquin said with a smile. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"B-but you hate us Jasper wolves!" Lilly managed to choke out.

Tarquin chuckled. "Kate is my enemy, not you – er, Lilly is it? Especially not now that I know how she's done such great wrong to both of us."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Lilly bleated out, still not willing to trust Tarquin. But she could not help admitting that she was curious about what he was saying.

"That rat Benny overheard the whole conversation and explained it all to me," Tarquin said as he approached Lilly.

Lilly tried to back away slowly, but Tarquin was moving much more swiftly. So she picked up the pace and tried to keep herself at a safe distance. That is until she felt one of her back paws come down on finest air. She was at the edge of the cliff and one more step would be fatal.

In fact, the surprise of now only having three legs for support caused Lilly to lose her balance. She panicked and cried out as she felt herself beginning to fall. But she was more capable of taking care of herself than many would give her credit for. Lilly hurriedly managed to steady herself with minimal effort.

And then she felt Tarquin's paw upon her shoulder. She began to panic again, but he released her as soon as he was certain that she would not fall.

In the excitement, Lilly's bangs had once more fallen over her left eye. With his paw, Tarquin now gently pushed them out of the way once more. As he did so, Lilly's eyes locked with his.

"I… I don't understand," Lilly said softly.

"My dear," Tarquin said with previously-unsuspected politeness, "would you walk with me awhile?"

Lilly looked down, still unsure. She did not trust Tarquin, but she knew she was practically at his mercy here. He could easily push her over the cliff without anyone being the wiser. But he had chosen to try and _save_ her life, not end it. Lilly sensed that there was more here than met her previously-covered eye. Finally, she nodded.

"You and me, we're not so different," Tarquin said as they began to walk. "Actually, we two are very much alike."

Lilly was looking down and away from Tarquin. "But… you're supposed to be evil," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Tarquin smiled slightly as he looked ahead. "I understand how you could feel that way. I haven't been the most civil host, have I? But you have to understand how great my need to get back at Kate was, how great the wrong she did me was. I know you can understand that. Don't you feel that way, after what she's done to you?"

Lilly now looked him in the eyes. She nodded. "Yeah," she said.

"Kate is my enemy," Tarquin said. "Kate and those who choose to ally themselves with her evil. I could never treat you like that now that I know that she's made you suffer just like she has me."

"It wasn't fair," Lilly said, barely holding back tears. "After everything, it wasn't fair. She ruined my life and killed my sister, all because she had to be the best! And she let me believe it was all my fault."

Tarquin grunted in anger as he heard this. "Kate is sick and depraved. She must be stopped. My whole purpose here was stopping her before she ruined anyone else's lives."

"Too late," Lilly muttered.

Tarquin smiled. He felt like he was getting through to Lilly.

He continued, "And that's what we can do, together. Lilly, you're just the person I need to bring down Kate once and for all. Then the whole world shall see her villainy for what it is. What do you say?"

Lilly hesitated. She did not look up from the ground. "But… but… if you were just doing this to get back at Kate, why did so many others have to die?"

Tarquin shrugged and smiled. "Collateral damage."

Now Lilly finally lifted her head up. And she shook it fiercely, so fiercely in fact that the lily-shaped tresses atop her head went whirling this way and that. "No! You can't just kill so many and say it's collateral damage! That's not right!"

Tarquin's smile became more devious. "Right? Was what Kate did to me right? Was what my father did to me right? How does the world have the right to tell me what is right? Why is it even right?"

"But… those people, all those wolves, the never did anything to you! They were innocent! They didn't deserve to die and that's the truth!"

Tarquin now let out a laugh that suggested he was rather amused by Lilly's view of things. "Oh, really? What is truth?"

Lilly now locked eyes with him. Somehow, despite being where she was and feeling all of her old timidity, Lilly could not let this stand. Not when there were lives at stake, innocent lives. "Truth is compassion for everybody who never got the chance to choose their own destiny. You know, the people like you claim to be!"

Tarquin rolled his eyes and nodded his head. He seemed to be, overall, enjoying this little exchange. "You just don't get it, do you? Without me, those people are as good as dead anyway. You think wolfkind can survive much longer like it is, with all these tiny little packs? When the humans and the dogs are constantly invading our homes, taking over, and forcing us out? How long do you think anybody's going to last now?"

Lilly was silent.

"Exactly," Tarquin said. "That's why they need me. The packs are weak and divided. What they need is a leader who can turn them into one so that they can resist annihilation. And only I can do that. Only I have the vision, the foresight, the power to unite all the packs of Canada against our foes! And that's why I am destined to reign as Emperor of All Wolves forever and ever!"

Lilly was looking away, over the cliffs to the rugged wilderness below. She was too wrapped up in these words to even notice that they had now come to the large cliff in front of Tarquin's den. "There has to be a better way," she said softly.

"Oh yes," Tarquin mocked. "Why don't we all hold hands and promise to share and share alike, I don't think! There is no other way. All those who you say I killed – maybe I did! But they were as good as dead anyway! They may have died, but it was necessary so that many more could live! Everything I did, no matter how 'evil' or 'brutal' it may seem to you, was absolutely necessary to unite all the packs! Anyone who stands in the way of my vision deserves to be crushed underfoot anyway! And sometimes a little brutality can go a very long way."

Lilly shook her head a little, as though she still could not believe (even after everything) what Tarquin was saying. "You sound like such a monster!"

Tarquin approached a nearby rock. "Maybe I am a monster," he said as he climbed onto it, "but this world needs its monsters. Because, contrary to popular belief, it's not the heroes that maintain order in this world, it's the monsters. Has anyone ever done anything because they were inspired by a hero?"

"Y-y-yes?" Lilly sputtered out.

"Well, maybe so, but so many more people have been moved to act not by any hero, but because they feared the monsters out there in the darkness. It's the monsters that keep society running. Face it, Lilly, any truly strong and healthy society needs its monsters, no matter what you or anybody else says."

Tarquin, standing upon the rock, now turned toward Lilly and threw out his forelegs in a grand gesture as he spoke. "The truth is, for the ship of state to make it through all the stormy seas of this world, it needs to be resting upon the back of the Leviathan!"

Lilly found herself backing away. She could not believe what she was hearing, even from Tarquin. She felt as though she could not find the words to answer him, but she still would not accept what he had said. No matter what, she would not accept it. And that way, he could never win.

Tarquin now jumped off his rock and began to approach Lilly again. As she continued to back away, he held out his paw toward her. "But I don't want to do it alone. I need – well, I don't need anyone but – I'd like to have someone by my side who understands my vision and the things necessary to achieve it. Someone like you."

Lilly shook her head again. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? "Are you… actually…."

"Yes, Lilly," Tarquin said. "Every Emperor must have an Empress if he is going to build a lasting dynasty. And of all the wolves I have ever met, you are the only one who has experienced what I have, so only you can understand me. That's why you should be the one to build a newer, better Canada by my side."

"But… but… but… I'm already married!"

"Hmph! Like that means anything!"

"It… it does…." Lilly closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to remember all the good times she had with Garth. But, as she opened her eyes, she realized that the pain she felt was too great for her to bring up those memories.

Tarquin gave Lilly a tilt of the head and a knowing glance. "Does it? Married to a wolf who has never appreciated you, a wolf who would not even stand up for you when you needed him! Didn't you try to tell him the truth, and he just brushed you off? Didn't you?"

Lilly looked away. "Well… yeah…."

Tarquin nodded. "So, he's just as bad as Kate is! Well, no one could be _just as bad_ as Kate, but he clearly does not deserve you. What type of mate questions their partner when they should be backing them one-hundred percent?"

"A very shabby one!" Lilly exclaimed unexpectedly, letting her pain get the better of her for a moment. When she realized what she had said, she tried to backtrack, "I mean…."

Tarquin now circled around Lilly and rubbed his body against hers as he came back to her side. "Come on, Lilly, you have to admit that I'd make a much better husband than Garth ever would. What does he have that I don't, anyway?"

Lilly now looked away from Tarquin again, being unable to bear looking at him as he was now right on top of her. "Well, um, he's… well…."

Tarquin smirked. "At least I'm not too pretty and I'm not too proud. I would never betray you like that worthless cad did. So, what do you say? Accept my offer?"

Lilly was silent as so many emotions seemed to whirl around like a maelstrom in her mind. But Tarquin was an impatient wolf. He put his foreleg around Lilly and said, "All you have to say is yes."

However, before anybody could say anything more, a shout came from the path. "Tarquin, unpaw my sister!"

Tarquin quickly lifted up his foreleg to lock around Lilly's throat as he perned the both of them to face Kate and Humphrey swiftly approaching. He began to step backward toward the cliff as they rapidly approached.

"Stay back, dogs!" he barked as he held the jeweled end of his scepter to Lilly's throat. "Stay back or I dispose of this little white rat once and for all!"

This forced Kate and Humphrey to stop in their tracks. They realized that they did not have much of an advantage here.

"Tarquin, let her go," Kate said. "I'm the one you have the grudge with, remember? Do whatever you want to me, but leave her out of this."

"Oh, how kind of you to say so, Kate," Tarquin said. "As though you ever actually cared for your sister in the first place! After you killed your other one and put all the blame on her."

Kate was stunned. How could Tarquin know about what had just gone on? Her mind raced to try and process this fact and find a fitting rebuttal. But as she was doing so, moments of silence passed.

"You see," Tarquin whispered to Lilly. "I told you she doesn't care about you. She can't even speak up when I confront her with it. Neither of them can. That's why you'd be better sticking with me. Just say the word, and we can teach Kate a lesson… together."

After a moment, Lilly began to say, "Ye-ye-ye–"

Humphrey realized how much difficulty his mate was having in responding. So, as he always seemed to find himself doing in these situations, he would help Kate out. Looking squarely at Tarquin, he yelled. "And what do you know about love? After you killed Rosaline?"

That story, which Tarquin himself had told, flashed through Lilly's mind, as well as memories of everyone she had ever heard of being victimized by the self-proclaimed Emperor. And she realized that, no matter her problems with her family, she could not stand by and let Tarquin hurt anyone else.

"No!" she yelled as she delivered a powerful elbow to Tarquin's gut. This forced him to release her and she was now free.

But Tarquin's rage allowed him to recover much faster than even he would have thought possible. With a loud scream, he batted the side of his scepter into Lilly's face, sending her flying.

Kate's eyes grew wide as she realized what was happening, what was happening for a second time. "Not again," she said quietly. Quietly, but with the strongest feeling of determination she had ever known.

Then Kate burst into the air and twirled toward the cliff-edge as Lilly went spiraling over it. Even as Lilly's gentle, fluffy body seemed to hang suspended in the air like a cloud against the blue sky, Kate knew she would not fall. Kate would save her sister this time; she knew she would. As Lilly began to fall beneath the cliff, Kate threw out her paw to grab onto Lilly's. Lilly threw out her own paw to grasp Kate's. Their paws came closer and closer, until….

Kate fell to the cliff in pain. She realized that, in her determination to save Lilly, she had left herself wide-open to an attack and Tarquin had used the opening to thrust the blunt-end of his scepter into her stomach. In truth, it had only been enough to wind her, but Kate knew that the act must have cost her vital seconds. She crawled to the edge of the cliff and threw her front-half over. She reached out her paw and screamed, "Lilly!"

But it was too late. The last Kate saw of Lilly was her white form disappearing into the white clouds below, those lavender eyes looking up at Kate with fear and with sorrow and with so many questions about why her big sister had not saved her, why her big sister had let her down… again.

Kate had seen such a look once before, and in the exact same situation as this. Now she had lost two sisters this way, and she felt like she was all alone in the world.

Tears filled Kate's eyes and began to roll down from her face down toward the white clouds which her sister's form had just so tragically become one with. "Lilly..." she said quietly, imploringly, little more than a whisper. But she knew it was too late.

* * *

**Is this the end for Lilly?**

**And what will become of the United Pack without her?**

**How will her family deal with her loss?**

**Read on.**


	26. Lilly Dead?

**In his review to the last chapter, Easton the Alpha asked that I update as soon as possible.**

**It turns out that "as soon as possible" is very, very soon indeed.**

**I was planning on getting this out this weekend, but you guys gave such good responses to the last chapter**

**that I was inspired to get this one done and end this book of _Perils of the North_ off right. **

**So, once again, my thanks go out to all of you - and stay tuned, there's still a whole lot more to come after this.**

* * *

For a moment, Kate felt nothing. What could she feel? Nothing around her seemed real, not this mountain, not this insipid challenge, not Tarquin or Humphrey or even herself, and certainly not the fact that Lilly had just plummeted to an inevitable death in the wilderness below. Kate felt as though she had lost all sensation as just one thought played over and over in her mind, "Again. It happened again."

The first thing she became conscious of was a whispering in her ear. A voice, Tarquin's voice, uttered these words, "And just so you know, Kate, this too was a challenge. Your pathetic little sister had a choice to make and she chose the wrong one. So she lost and paid the price of losing. That means Jasper and the Yukon are now tied."

Kate immediately threw a fist in Tarquin's direction but, due to the bad physical shape she was in already and the emotional toll of what had just happened, she was not in fighting form at all. Tarquin easily dodged and, as Kate rose, smacked her back down with a blow to the face from the diamond tip of his scepter. This reopened a wound which had just started to clot and caused blood to fall upon the cliff. Kate fell back to the ground, feeling as though she could never have the strength to lift herself back up. And then she felt Tarquin give a sharp kick to her stomach.

"You took everything from me and now I've taken everything from you!" Tarquin taunted.

At this point, Kate looked up through tear-filled eyes to see Tarquin preparing to deliver another assault. It surely seemed that he would finish her off now. But then there was a grey blur blocking him from her line of sight; Humphrey rolled in and pulled Kate out of the way just in time. Tarquin brought down the point of his scepter to where her head had been, but met only rock and blood.

Humphrey found the strength to hold on to Kate and support most of her weight as he ran away from Tarquin. But, to his surprise, his ears registered that Tarquin was not following them. And now Kate was frantically fighting Humphrey, trying to get him to let go of her so she could go back after Tarquin. Both of these things suggested to him that it might be best to stop running.

As he let go of some of his hold on Kate, she spun around and he did so as well. They saw Tarquin watching them from the ledge. He still seemed to be fuming, but his rage had apparently calmed somewhat.

"That's right, go and live," he said. "Live, knowing what I've taken from you. In one blow, I not only ruined you own life, Kate, but I destroyed your precious United Pack, too! How can your two packs stay united without the unifying link? Unless, of course, you want to dump the Omega and marry Garth yourself! If you do, we can just throw him off the cliff and I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"Oh, yeah?" Kate fumed. "Well, I can promise you something, too! I promise that I'm going to take that gaudy scepter of yours and drive it so far down your throat it pins your tail to the cliff!"

"You're your mother's daughter, that's for sure," Humphrey muttered.

Kate began to tear herself away from Humphrey and toward Tarquin. But Humphrey quickly grabbed onto her with an even tighter hold.

"Kate, Kate, Kate," he whispered. "Don't do this. I know you're upset about Lilly; I am too and Tarquin deserves to pay for it. But you can't take him now, not in the shape you're in. You'll just give him the opportunity to kill you too. That's what he wants!"

Kate looked at Humphrey with absolute disgust. "So what, Humphrey? I should just let him get away with what he did to her?"

"No, Kate, you shouldn't," Humphrey answered. "But you're not going to do Lilly any good by getting yourself killed alongside her. You need a chance to heal. Then you can give him everything he deserves once you're better."

Kate made one last futile tug against Humphrey's grasp, but she knew he was right. She had been pulverized too much today to be able to fight anyone and would just be compounding the tragedy by trying. Not that Kate cared too much about what would happen to her – she was a long way past caring about that – but she knew that another reckless decision would only make things worse for her pack.

So she fell onto Humphrey's shoulder, depending upon him for support. "Let's go," she said simply.

As they turned away, Tarquin smirked in triumph. "That's what I thought. You don't even have the courage to try and avenge your sister, just like you never had the courage to save either of them in the first place."

As Kate gritted her teeth, Humphrey whispered. "Just ignore him. For now."

And so they continued walking down the path, never looking back. Once they were gone, Tarquin did not hesitate to put the next step in his new plan into action. He called Justin to him and this is what he ordered.

"Find me the body immediately. I want to cause as much pain for the Jasper wolves as possible. And fate seems to have handed me the perfect weapon. I knew that destiny was always on my side."

"May I just say, milord, congratulations on finally killing one of the Jasper wolves?" Justin said.

"Just find the corpse!" Tarquin yelled. "I don't need you to make snide remarks!"

"But, sire, I–"

"Just go!"

With a swift and nervous bow, Justin disappeared around the path. Tarquin was now left alone.

"I don't need anybody," he said as he slowly approached his den. Then Tarquin paused and looked back. He did not know why, but his eyes focused on where he had knocked Lilly from the mountain. Suddenly, something seemed wrong inside of him. He could not place it, but there definitely seemed to be something wrong. Somehow, he felt a chill unlike anything he had known in a long time.

* * *

Garth paced back and forth nervously inside the Jasper den. He felt guilty for not standing up for Lilly when he had the chance, of telling her how ridiculous her dream sounded, of unintentionally alienating her when she needed him the most. He did not know how he would ever be able to look into her bright beautiful eyes again after this. But he just hoped, for her safety and for his peace of mind, that Kate and Humphrey brought Lilly back soon.

"Relax, sir," Edgar called out as he led the Betas in another card game around a rock. "Come on, join us here in a little fun and relaxation."

"After everything that's happened, you're _still gambling_?" Garth exclaimed.

"Hey, it's not our tails in the fire," Hutch said.

"And besides, these mooks here and have some berries which I intend to get back," Can-do added, waving his fist at Claw and Scar.

"Whatever," Garth said, throwing up his paws in frustration. "I just can't deal with it now."

Then he heard pawsteps outside of the cave. He rushed to the cave entrance expectantly, hoping that Lilly was in something of a better mood than when he had last seen her. After all, he did not think he could bear having her angry at him for much longer. He tried to put on his best smile to welcome her home, hoping it would soften her somewhat and that Kate's talk had made her a little friendlier toward everyone else.

But the smile fell from his face when he saw Kate and Humphrey walk in slowly, sadly, and without the little white she-wolf Garth had come to love. Both of them looked as if life had beaten all possible joy out of them and neither of them made eye-contact with any of the others as they came in.

"Kate, where's Lilly?" Garth asked.

But Kate did not answer. She merely sobbed and walked toward a lonely corner in the back of the den.

"Where's Lilly?" Garth asked again. "You were supposed to come back with Lilly. Where is she?"

No answer.

Garth swiftly turned toward his brother-in-law. He was at his wit's end. What else could make him expect straight talk from the grey-and-white Omega who had so often gotten on his nerves?

"Humphrey?" Garth implored.

Humphrey could not bear to look Garth in the eyes. But he knew he had to answer him. Garth needed to know. Of all of them, Garth was the one who needed to know the most.

"Lilly's not coming back, big guy," Humphrey said sadly.

Confusion filled Garth's emerald eyes. "What do you mean, she's not coming back? Where is she? Why won't she come home? What did you say to her?"

"Never got a chance to say anything," Humphrey muttered as he went after Kate.

Garth's eyes shifted again, this time away from Humphrey and toward Kate. He had no clue what was going on, but slowly, it was dawning on him that things were much worse than he originally thought. But that was a notion he could not let himself have. Not yet.

"Where is she?" He practically hollered. "Where is my mate?"

As Humphrey held onto her, Kate began to speak, slowly and sobbily. "Tarquin was there. He had…. She went…. Melanie."

Garth tilted his head.

Then Kate said, "Just like Melanie."

Garth's eyes grew wide with horror as he now began to piece together what must have happened. "You don't mean… you really don't mean that she's…."

"Not coming back," Humphrey said glumly, still unable to meet Garth's eyes.

Kate broke out into even heavier sobs as Humphrey even began to cry a little. Garth looked from one to the other, stunned. He was hoping that suddenly Humphrey would give him that wink and then the two sobers would both burst out laughing, revealing all of this to be a sick joke. It was a strange hope, surely, but to Garth, all of Humphrey's jokes were sick. Why should this be any different?

Garth smiled. "Okay, I got it. Very funny."

"What?" Humphrey and Kate said together, their jaws dropping.

"Lilly's still mad at me so she had you guys cook up this prank to get back at me!" Garth explained proudly as he walked toward the cave entrance. "You almost had me there, but I knew Humphrey would never pass up an opportunity to have a giant laugh at my expense."

Kate threw her hands into her paws and continued sobbing as Humphrey said, "No, Garth, it's not like that. I'd never joke about something like this!"

"Yeah, whatever, Humphrey," Garth said as he reached the entrance. Then he called out, "Lilly, honey, it's okay. You can come in now; I figured out the joke!"

As seconds passed with no sign of Lilly, the smile for a second time faded from Garth's face. He fell into a sitting position and his eyes filled with tears. Pretty soon, he was crying as the horrible truth hit him all at once.

"Okay, so why isn't Miss Lilly coming back?" Edgar asked.

"Because she's dead, baboon," Claw remarked as quietly as she could. Which was not very quietly at all.

Edgar threw his cards down onto the rock they were using as a table. "Great, now who am I going to get to stake me for tonight's poker game?"

The other Betas quickly threw him against the nearest rock-wall.

Then Garth let out a howl, a long, plaintive, sorrowful howl. It would probably be the last howl he would ever give, now that he no longer had Lilly beside him to inspire him. Kate and Humphrey, Hutch and Can-do, Claw and Scar, all felt as though they should join in. But none of them had the strength, not now. The shock and pain was just too much. And it seemed as though nothing could possibly add to the suffering and emotion which now coursed through the den and into the darkening sky above.

In truth, Garth could not care what the others did either way. He just wanted this final moment, this final chance to give his love to his mate, to send the feelings of his heart up into the upper air, to the highest Heaven where now she must be. Would she remember him in that newer, better life far above? He hoped that she would, at least long enough to hear his song, and that his earthly love could still reach her one last time before all became separation and darkness.

Kate reflected back to when she had first heard Garth howl and how terrible it sounded. Now she could not remember ever hearing anything so profoundly, tragically beautiful. As Garth finished, she approached him with tears in her eyes.

"Garth, I'm sorry," she said. "I did all that I could do to save her. But I… I couldn't…."

When Garth heard her voice, he seemed stunned, as though he had completely forgotten that anyone else in the world was alive. But when he looked to Kate, there was no sense of shared suffering. Rather, there was nothing at all but rage.

Suddenly, he leapt to his feet and, with all of his incredible speed, her charged directly at her.

"You killed her, Kate! It's all your fault!" he bellowed. "Why'd you have to make us come here anyway?"

Though Garth was quick, Kate was quicker. She had always recovered from injuries quickly, and this short span may not have healed her but it was enough to recharge her reflexes. As Garth was about to make contact she delivered a firm fist which brought him to a dead stop.

"You wanted to come, too!" she yelled, like a wounded animal lashing out when it feels cornered – which is exactly what she was, in both a physical and emotional sense.

This statement, true though it might have been, cost her as the emotion blinded her to the broadside that Garth, having steadied himself, had waiting. He flung his fist wildly and knocked her straight into the rock-wall.

Kate slid down the wall and landed squarely on her back, with her head tilted just enough to see Garth slowly approaching her. This was no time to be lounging around, she knew, but at this third assault of the day, Kate felt like all of her strength was again leaving her – and this time for good. She just wanted to lay there and let Garth do his worst. None of it could be any more than what she was already doing to herself inside.

"Come on," she muttered – whether more toward Garth or herself is uncertain, "just finish it. It's what I deserve. Just finish it."

However, once again, Humphrey jumped in front of her, bent on saving her life and thinking nothing at all of his own. Just like Humphrey, Kate thought. He positioned himself directly in Garth's path.

"Guys, settle down!" he said, his melancholy voice taking on a surprising tone of command. "Lilly wouldn't want us to fight!"

This did not have the effect Humphrey had sought. For now Garth had a new target. He quickly grasped at Humphrey's neck with his paws and began to shake him wildly, strangling all of the air out of him.

"Don't you dare mention her name!" Garth screamed madly. "You could have saved her too!"

And then, something was reawakened deep inside Kate. She had no will left to fight for herself and was ready to face the fate she knew she deserved. She did not even know if she could keep fighting for the pack, not after having done so much harm to it already. But there was one that she could still fight for, and that was Humphrey. No matter what, as long as Humphrey could still be saved, Kate could, would fight for him. Lifting herself up swiftly as her old strength returned to her, Kate bulldozed straight into Garth.

"Get your paws off of him!" she shouted as she let her force launch Garth far away from her mate.

Garth hit the rock-wall hard and collapsed to the ground. He did not get up. It was not because he could not fight any longer – as he had suffered much less physical damage than Kate today, he could have beaten her by sheer endurance – but he no longer saw the point in it. His rage had been a first reaction, an attempt to punish the universe for taking Lilly from him in any way he could. But now he realized that nothing, not even that, could bring her back. Lilly was gone, gone forever.

Garth wept.

Kate, meanwhile, helped Humphrey up. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Humphrey gave her a sad smile. "Kate, I've been strangled by your mom. And when you survive being strangled by the best, you can survive anything."

But the joke never sunk in. Kate did not even wait long enough to hear the last of it. For she saw Garth crying by himself and began to approach him. And then, she remembered the scene, the scene of her dream so long ago. It had all played out just as she had seen then.

Kate paused.

The enormity of her mistake threatened to swallow her up. Pride goes before a fall, and Kate felt herself about to fall, not like Lilly into a sea of cloud but into the dark ocean of despair. She saw herself not as she had ever seen herself before, not as the omnicapable, unstoppable Alpha, the greatest leader her pack had ever known, but as a being barely worthy of the name 'wolf.' She saw herself as the foulest, wickedest creature upon the face of the Earth.

Kate wondered if this was how she had always been.

She fell to the ground and covered her head with her paws. As tears flooded like a storm from her weary amber eyes, she said repeatedly like a mantra, "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!"

Humphrey sat beside her and put his paw upon her back. He wanted to say something to save the situation like he always did, something funny and comforting and true which would give Kate back some measure of peace and happiness. But he could not find the words. For once in his life, for perhaps the first time in his life, Humphrey could not find the magic words to brighten this deep, dark mood of despair.

So instead, he sat beside Kate and he cried too. She had lost her sister, Garth had lost his mate, but Humphrey had lost something else. He reflected that he had never truly appreciated Lilly. True, he had always been glad to have her there for him, but he had never realized just how much she meant to him until this moment. He realized that Lilly had been the one who he could go to with anything that he needed to talk out, when he couldn't even go to Salty, Shakey, or Mooch, and when he definitely could not go to Kate. Lilly had always been there. And yet, he had never realized this before now – Lilly was his best friend.

As Garth slowly lifted himself up, Edgar came beside him. The rusty Beta thought this was now as good a time as ever to speak, considering that Garth and he now shared the humiliation of being thrown against a rock-wall.

As Garth continued to sob, Edgar put his foreleg around him. "Cheer up, sir," he said. "I know losing Miss Lilly is hard, but there are plenty of fish in the sea."

Garth turned his tear-filled eyes to him. "Thanks, Edgar," he said, surprised that Edgar was trying (albeit failing) to be emphatic and to comfort him. "But I don't think I'll ever look at another she-wolf now that Lilly is gone."

Edgar tilted his head in confusion. "What? Oh, no, sir, I wasn't suggesting that. What I meant was, I need someone else to play 'Go Fish' but none of the other Betas will play with me. So what do you say, are you in?"

Edgar began to shuffle his deck of cards while waiting for Garth's response.

"Edgar," Garth said. "If you don't want me to exile you to the Hawai'ian islands for the span of your natural life, never let me see that deck of cards ever again."

"No, sir, you wouldn't do that!" Edgar pleaded. "That's just cruel!"

"Wait," Can-do said. "He just insulted Lilly's memory and you're going to reward him by sending him to Hawai'i?"

"It's not a reward," Scar said.

"You can't do that to me, sir," Edgar pleaded. "You know how deathly afraid I am of pineapples! I mean, what with never being able to tell if they're pinecones or apples! Please don't do that to me!"

"Then no more gambling!" Garth scolded. "It's what Lilly would have wanted!"

Claw and Scar suddenly burst out laughing.

"Excuse me!" Garth barked. "Is there something about what happened to Lilly that amuses you?"

Claw and Scar exchanged terrified looks as Garth approached them. The both threw out their paws to get him to halt.

"It's not that, sir!" Claw tried to explain.

Scar continued that explanation. "It's just that Miss Lilly… wasn't really all that opposed to gambling. In fact, she kinda… liked it?"

"What!" Garth bellowed, picking up his pace and now looking as though he was about to rend the two Betas into shreds, having taken Scar's suggestion as a distinct insult on his deceased mate's innocence and moral character.

"No, sir, he didn't mean anything by it!" Claw bleated. "But it's true! Just ask Edgar!"

Smart move, because if there was one thing that could save anybody Garth's wrath, it was displacing the blame onto Edgar. Garth now rounded on him, with such a look of fury that even Edgar realized his life may just be on the line here.

"Edgar," Garth said slowly, but it was that peculiar kind of slow which reveals very bad intentions. "Tell me… just tell me honestly… that you did not introduce my mate… to gambling!"

Edgar shook his head in disgust. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, it's not like I could ever get anything over on her! I admit, I thought it was going to be such a cake-walk to whup her fluffy tail at poker, but then she plays so innocent whether she's got a good hand or a bad one, so you never know if she's bluffing or not! Before you know it, she's taken you for everything you've got!"

"Edgar, I'm going to disembowel you!" Garth shouted as he made to lay his hands on his subordinate.

"It's all true, sir!" Claw cried, more because she realized she would probably be next than out of a desire to see Edgar remain emboweled. "We never made anything off of her!"

"If anything, it was the other way around!" Scar added frantically.

Garth now turned on them. "What do you mean, the other way around?"

"Why do you think we always went out of our way to do whatever she wanted?" Claw exclaimed. "The whole Eastern Pack was in debt to her!"

"And half the Western Pack too!" Scar added.

It was all too much. Garth felt all the weight disappear. He felt unreal, as unreal as Kate had when she first lost sight of Lilly beneath the cloud-cover. He could not take both her loss and this revelation of what was, to him, a character trait that someone as pure as her simply could not have. He was faced not only with the loss of the one he loved, but also with the question of whether he had ever truly known her, and thus had her, at all.

That was a question which Garth, Lilly lost, simply could not let himself ask.

Garth absently sat down and woozily swayed around. His head was spinning and he simply could not process anything.

"Are you okay, sir?" Edgar asked, after what seemed like a second to Garth but had really been a minute or so.

"I can't believe this. How can this happen to me?" Garth moaned. "First, I lose the only wolf I've ever loved, that I ever could love, the purest, sweetest, best wolf who has ever lived or could ever live. And now, you tell me that, instead of being married to a pure, sweet, and good wolf, all this time I was married to a fluffy Al Capone."

"That's the size of it," Scar said.

"Wait," Edgar said, as though he was realizing something. "A fluffy Al Capone? Are you meaning to tell me, sir, that Miss Lilly was the mastermind behind the St. Valentine's Day Massacre? I mean, it would make sense with her killing Miss Melanie and all."

"Hey, bozo," Claw called out, "Miss Lilly didn't kill Miss Melanie! That was Miss Kate!"

"What? Still?" Edgar replied in confusion.

Garth now got back up and walked away, shaking his head the whole time. "Stranded up north, probably never to return home. My mate is dead and gone forever, when we had such little time together. And my Betas are the reincarnation of the Three Stooges. Why did I get such a terrible life? What did I ever do to anybody to deserve all this?"

Kate now walked over and put her paw on Garth's shoulder. "You did nothing. It was my fault. All my fault. I let Melanie down once. I let mom and dad and you and Humphrey and our whole pack down by accepting this challenge. And I let Lilly down today. I'm the worst failure in the history of wolfkind. I'm sorry."

Garth now looked into her eyes and she could now see that he had not forgiven her. "Sorry won't bring Lilly back," he said as he whacked her paw away. He did not want to even look at her and so he turned his body around completely, so that his back coldly faced his sister-in-law.

"I know," Kate said. "And that's my fault, my failure. I don't blame you for hating me. I hate myself now. But, for the future of the United Pack–"

Garth perned around in fury. "What United Pack, Kate? In case you don't remember, it was my marriage to Lilly that united the packs. Without that marriage, there is no United Pack. The union of the packs is off, Kate!"

"No, Garth," Kate protested, "that's not the way Lilly would want it! I know, I know we aren't united by marriage any more, but we can think of some other way. There has to be another way, something else that could justify the union."

"Even if there was," Garth said sharply, "I'd never keep my pack united to the pack led by my mate's murderer! Face it, the United Pack is dead and gone. It's with Lilly in the grave."

"Um, sir," Hutch volunteered, "I know this may not be the proper time to say so, but Lilly doesn't have a grave yet. She just died and we still haven't had a chance to recover the body."

"Shut up!" Garth shouted at him.

"I was just saying, sir," Hutch said apologetically.

"Hmph," Can-do whispered to his partner, "you and your insistence on formal correctness."

"I was just pointing out that it isn't yet a true statement," Hutch whispered back. "Is there anything wrong with being properly thorough?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," Claw said.

"Thanks," Hutch replied.

"Claw, Scar, stop talking to the enemy!" Garth ordered.

"Now, hold on, big guy," Humphrey interjected. "Even if we aren't one pack anymore, we're hardly enemies."

"We are now," Garth said firmly. "Eastern pack, let's get out of here. I saw another cave down the path. That is our headquarters from now on. There is no way we'd ever share a den with Western dogs!"

As Garth led the Easterners into the twilight, Humphrey turned to his mate in exasperation.

"Kate, say something!" he implored. "You can't let the packs be split again! It'll be the end of both packs! Kate!"

But Kate had already turned her back on the Easterners and the deepening blue of the sun-faded sky. She was crying again. "Forget it, Humphrey," she said when she was able. "It doesn't matter anymore anyway."

"How can you say that?"

"Because this is the end for us. There's nothing any of us can do. It's all over."

* * *

**Jasper: 3**

**Yukon: 3**

* * *

_**Here ends Book the Third of Perils of the North**_

**Read on.**


	27. Splendor Solis

_**Here Begins Book the Fourth of Perils of the North**_

**IV. Plus Quam Imperator. IV.**

* * *

**"Fate is that which comes to us from without. _Destiny_ is that which comes to us from within."**

**- William Butler Yeats, _A Vision*_**

* * *

Lilly looked around her. All she could see was clouds. Wherever she turned her head, it was the white and fluffy clouds she saw. She felt weightless, she felt like she was floating in finest air as she looked around, like she had absolutely no tether to the world at all. What world? There seemed to be only blue sky and clouds for as far as Lilly could see.

"Wh-where am I?" she thought to herself.

Lilly was confused. All she could remember was falling, falling down through the clouds. She had thrown her paws over her eyes so that she would not see the ground closing in under the clouds. And so she did not see anything. But she kept falling. Falling – until the stop.

Though the stop, when it came, seemed violent and painful, Lilly was surprised that she did not feel more. In fact, the only place she had really felt the pain was in her tail. And, after a moment, she was just floating. Floating alone in the pure realm of white cloud and blue sky.

Lilly tried to piece things together in her mind. The more she thought over and over about what had just happened, the surer she became that only one thing could have happened.

"Am-am I in Heaven?" Lilly asked herself. Certainly, it looked like she had always imagined Heaven looking like – all sky and clouds – and it felt like Heaven, if floating is how Heaven feels. But there was one thing that still confused Lilly.

"I didn't think Heaven was supposed to be upside-down," she muttered to herself.

Lilly looked downward – or upward, from her inverted perspective – to see whether there was anything else in this mysterious cloud realm. That is when she saw the wide expanse of large, green trees below her. Things were either starting to make sense or getting weirder. Lilly determined to find out which. Mustering her strength, she spun around a full one-hundred eighty degrees and came face to face with the bark of a very large tree.

Looking around her, Lilly noted that this tree was much larger than all the other trees and so stood out high above them. In fact, it was much larger than any tree she had ever seen. And then she looked upward (downward from her perspective) and found the cause of her suspension. Her tail had gotten itself caught in one of the uppermost branches.

"Well, this is certainly an interesting predicament," Lilly thought. Here she was, hanging from a very tall tree, with no prospect of going down (or up, from her perspective) and with nothing to do but hang around. Considering all this, Lilly almost forgot to realize that, if this meant anything at all, it meant that she was still alive.

Lilly did not know how long she hung there. But it seemed like a long time. What could she do? Even if she had been insane enough to try a several-story drop that could either injure or kill her – or both – her tail was probably too tightly wedged to make anything like that possible.

As Lilly so commonly found in life, she would just have to wait. Wait for something – anything – to come along that would resolve this delicate and tricky situation. So she took to finding some other means of entertaining herself while she waited. Noticing that her bangs had left the vicinity of her left eye for once and were now hanging down from her head toward the tree-line below, Lilly got a novel idea.

Would they always hang like that or could she manage to get them to stay in their once-usual place?

Lilly decided to find out. She pushed her bangs back down in front of her left eye and drew her paw away, waiting to see if they would stick.

They did not.

She tried again. No more luck.

And again. Still no more luck. "If only I could find some crazy-glue," she thought. And another bright idea immediately filled her mind. Lilly remembered that sometimes the sap of trees can be used as an adhesive. Her new notion was to test this fact for herself, but then she realized that she'd have to swing over to the trunk and there was no guarantee she would be able to hang on and open it once she got there.

So she resorted to once more trying to defeat gravity by sheer force of will. Or force of curiosity, more like. This fun and educational activity kept Lilly's interest for the ten minutes or so she kept at it, even as it became abundantly clear to her, as it must surely have to Mr. Newton******, that gravity is a real and existent force that will not be easily defied by a few stray locks of white hair.

Her success at discovering for herself this law of nature would have been much more rewarding if Lilly currently was not suspected countless feet above the ground with only the strands of her tail keeping her from utter destruction.

Yet, Lilly was still involved in her research when she felt herself beginning to rotate again. Having no particular reason to fight it, she let herself go. Slowly, she turned farther to her left than she had before.

And there, she made another incredible discover, coming face to face with it as she came to a stop. For her purple eyes locked with the yellow eyes of a large horned owl. Lilly let out a little gasp, as discovering another creature in the tree gave her a shock. It was not a great shock and Lilly was soon over it, but she could not help feeling a mixture of relief and unease at this strange find. As she studied the majestic, stately creature, she found herself feeling somewhat better. She was not alone up here after all, but had this old, wise owl to keep her company.

Though she still felt somewhat shy – she had never really talked to any birds other than Marcel and Paddy and a few bluebirds (and these tended to be limited exchanges on her part) – Lilly decided to make the best of it.

"H-hello?" she said. "My name's Lilly, what's yours?"

The owl looked at her with the type of look you'd expect of any bird that had just discovered that a giant land-based predator had somehow managed to find its way into a lofty, safe place which such predators should never be able to reach. Had Lilly not been Lilly, what he said to her would not have been a surprise.

"Get out of my home, you evil beast!"

After dispensing this gem of sage advice, the wise owl determined that he would encourage Lilly to follow it through a much more direct form of persuasion. As he shrieked wildly, his talons clawed at her neck, shoulders, and face. Lilly cried in panic as she tried to wave off the furious claws and keep her delicate body out of their reach.

"No, no, I don't want to hurt you!" she screamed.

But the bird was having none of it. He kept trying to scratch and claw at her, forcing her to gyrate even more wildly to avoid the razor-sharp talons.

"Come into my home and try to eat me, eh?" the owl said. "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget! Stay still and let me carve up that ugly face of yours!"

"Stop, stop!" Lilly cried, tears of fear falling from her eyes and down toward the ground somewhere below.

But then she felt something. Or heard something. Or both. All Lilly knew was that there was a snap above her (or below her, from her perspective). A snap of wood right where the tip of her tail was. Though her mind was distracted, she began to grasp what was happening. Once again, Lilly's strength had proven stronger than she gave herself credit for. Her movements had been so sharp and rapid that they broke her tail free.

"Uh-oh," Lilly thought.

She was free now. Free to fall. She was going to free-fall. And, having learned much from her study of gravity, Lilly knew that the results of this would not be pleasant.

So she immediately tried to steady herself by grabbing onto the nearest thing available.

The owl screamed in terror as Lilly wrapped her forepaws around him. "No, let go of me, you foul creature! _Let… go… of… me!_"

But Lilly could not really afford to pay him much attention. She just hoped that this flying creature would be able somehow to keep her safely aloft. Unfortunately, she did not notice in time that she had wrapped her forelegs around his wings, and that now he could not fly.

In an instant, both were hurtling toward the ground like Mr. Newton's famous apple. Well, if Mr. Newton's famous apple had been racing toward Earth at a pace so dangerously fast that it bashed Mr. Newton's clever head in upon contact, that is.

It was a very tall tree and one with very many branches. This Lilly and the owl discovered the hard way as they landed upon, and were knocked from, branch to branch as they fell. It was a painful, frightening ride down, and the branches just seemed to add insult to injury for the both of them. Of course, the branches were also adding injury to injury the whole time as well.

So, while Lilly cried and the owl screeched, or the owl cried and Lilly screeched, their inevitable demise seemed to get more and more painful with each passing moment.

And then came the crash. Lilly was amazed that she did not lose consciousness on impact, much less die. But it felt like she could die if she let herself. All of the bones in her body felt broken and Lilly was certain they were. After all, with a fall and a landing like that, what else could she really expect?

Lilly was an optimist, you see.

But slowly, Lilly became aware of sensation in her body. She shook her limbs a little and wagged her tail to make sure that all appendages still worked. Finding that they did, Lilly knew that her bones must not be broken after all.

The tree-branches must have saved her, she thought. They must have slowed her fall just enough to save her from any major damage. Of course, it came with a price, as the pain still coursed through her whole body. Lilly knew that she had always had the most delicate skin of any wolf in Jasper and she could only imagine all the nasty bruises that must now be forming over her soft, white flesh where the branches had taken their toll.

But at least she was alive. Lilly said a little prayer of thanks for that.

Finally, she opened her eyes. She immediately looked to where she imagined her unwilling flight-companion must have landed. After everything, Lilly still wanted to know that he was okay. Lilly would never want to see another creature hurt and, besides, she had just finally had her white paws cleansed of Melanie's blood, so it would be terrible to stain them with another's.

She saw the owl lying right where she expected. For a moment, Lilly feared the worst, but then she saw his chest move up and down and knew that he lived still.

"Birdy, are you alright?" she asked gently.

"You broke my wings, you monster!" he yelled at her as he tried to pick himself up. "Now I might never fly again! What type of a sick freak are you?"

"Sorry," Lilly said, though she could not hide from her voice her relief that he was still alive. This he naturally took to be satisfaction at a vicious deed well done.

But the little relief she had was soon gone when Lilly noticed that a large shadow was hovering over them. Make that two shadows. Wolven shadows.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" came a deep, sinister voice.

Lilly's blood ran cold. She thought it could only be one of Tarquin's many goons, come to finish her off once and for all.

She looked slowly to see the wolf standing over her. Lilly was surprised; he looked nothing like Tarquin's other goons. This wolf was too small and thin – if Lilly was in the habit of being ungenerous, she would have dubbed him 'scrawny'. In fact, his build was like Humphrey's, but he was an inch or two smaller. He was a bright red wolf, perhaps of even brighter fur than Garth. But his mean yellow eyes, the same color as his chest, snout, and paws, robbed Lilly of any comfort she might have drawn from that similarity to her mate.

Lilly did not know what to say. What could she say? She was terrified and felt her body, for all its soreness, start to shake uncontrollably. She tried to hide it but, as in most such occasions, she failed. Lilly knew she looked like a coward, looked weak, and she was ashamed of it. But she could do nothing else.

Well, there was one thing she could do; keep silent. Lilly knew that everyone deemed her weak and thought she could not handle herself in a serious situation. Even Garth had always tried to keep the more stressful and worrisome pack leader duties out of her hands. Lilly had always thought it was sweet, but even in her happiest moments she had to admit that it felt demeaning. It was demeaning because they were all wrong about her. Lilly might not be able to fight her way out like Kate and Garth or think her way out like Humphrey, but she could at least be strong as the end came. No matter what, she would not plead for her life.

"Look at this, Marianne," this wolf said with wicked satisfaction. "We've got a spy on our paws."

"What?" Lilly said in shock, for this was the last thing she expected to hear from a Tarquinate wolf. "I'm not a spy!"

"Oh, no?" said another voice, feminine. "Then why were you hiding up in this tree, eavesdropping on us?"

Now a female wolf entered Lilly's line of vision. She looked much like the male, except that she was a little smaller and obviously less masculine – though not by much.

"Just kill her, Leon, and get it over with," Marianne said. "We don't have time for fun with this one. We've got to get back to patrolling."

Leon smiled at her. "Relax, comrade. We've swept the whole area already. We didn't catch any sign of Tarquin's pig-wolves until we found her. So no one's coming to save her."

"W-w-what?" Lilly blurted out, her confusion giving her words even though she was still terrified to speak. "A-a-aren't you Tarquin's wolves?"

"Ha, don't insult me!" Leon snapped. "I would never bow my head to that bloodstained imperialist!"

Lilly began to slowly pick herself up. She was relieved slightly, though admittedly the fact that these wolves still thought her a spy was troubling. "I'm not one either."

Marianne pushed her back down with one single thrust of the paw. All the bruises and blisters on Lilly's sides screamed in pain. "Don't lie to us, spy! Your excuses won't save you from what all of you oppressors deserve."

"Look at her," Leon remarked. "She makes me sick. A weak, frail little thing like that; she probably betrayed her class just so that monster would give her a few scraps to eat. Oh, well, I'll give her something to chew over."

"I'm not a spy! I'm not a spy!" Lilly cried. "I'm… I'm… I'm from the Jasper Unified Wolfpack. Tarquin's holding us captive!"

Marianne looked shaken. She turned to Leon. "A… southern wolf? We're not supposed to harm them."

"She's lying through her tiny teeth," Leon said. "She's no southern wolf. I don't think southern wolves climb trees just for the fun of it."

"I didn't climb the tree!" Lilly tried to explain. "Tarquin hit me off a cliff and I landed in it! Just ask him!" She pointed to the horned owl, who shuddered as the other two momentarily turned their gaze to him.

"Please, please don't eat me!" he pleaded. "I'm too young to be a wolf's meal! I still have many years of molting left in me!"

Leon and Marianne fixed their gaze once more on Lilly. "A likely story," Leon said. "Since when does Tarquin throw wolves off mountains? And since when do said wolves land in trees?"

Leon now put a clawed toe upon Lilly, trying to figure out how he could best draw out the kill and the fun. She winced as he touched upon a particularly bad bruise. Mistaking it for a show of fear, Leon grinned smugly. He would begin here, he thought.

"Begging for mercy won't save you, pig!" he mocked. "We're going to cut you open and then hang you up by the tail for everybody to see our catch."

"You can't do this!" Lilly yelled. "I'm a leader of the Jasper Pack! You can't do this to me!"

"Oh, forgive me, _'Your Majesty'_," Leon mocked. "I'll make this extra-long and painful just so your royal self feels like you're getting special treatment!"

"No, you have to believe me!" Lilly screamed. "I am not a spy!"

"Oh, shut up!" Leon said as he began to press his claw into her flesh.

As Lilly closed her eyes in pain, another voice was heard, "Leon, Marianne, that's enough."

Lilly felt the claw suddenly lift away from her body. She opened her eyes in amazement. The first thing that met her sight was the Sun. The great and glorious golden Sun, sitting regally in the deep blue sky, its eight rays spreading out like open, protective hands as eight silver stars that danced happily around it. Stars – or lilies. Lilly did not remember the Sun being so close before but the Sun, it seemed, had come out just to save her. Lilly was suitably awed.

Her eyes darted to see a wolf standing directly under the Sun. For one of his strong paws upheld it. And now, Lilly's quick mind grasped the truth. The Sun upon the blue field was a banner, hanging from a large pole. Lilly followed the pole upward toward the heavens to see that atop it was fixed the beautiful image of a white dove in flight. If this Sun was not the truly in the sky, it was still as greatly impressive as if it had been. Lilly felt as though she could stare at it forever. But her attention was quickly drawn away by the equally impressive figure of the wolf standing beneath it.

The first thing she thought of when she saw him was Garth. But he was not Garth. He was smaller than Garth was. But from his powerful muscles, which Lilly felt she could also stare at all day, he looked to be as strong as Garth. His fur was red like Garth's, Leon's, and Marianne's, but was much darker than any of theirs. Truth be told, it was much closer to maroon, though with a certain hint of scarlet still visible. Though he was for the most part maroon all over, his snout and chest and the toes of his four paws, as well as some streaks in his mane and tail, where the purest white – just like hers. His eyes were a blue deep enough to match the banner he held beside him. Lilly found herself getting lost in them as he looked down on her with pity and compassion. She got so lost that she almost did not notice the laurel-wreath which encircled his head like a crown but which was not quite a crown.

"We can't just go around killing everyone we suspect of being an enemy," he said. "There's no justice in that. And without justice, what is the point of fighting Tarquin in the first place?"

Leon growled. "Back off, Rienzi! You may be leader of this alliance, but you aren't leader of our pack! You can't tell Saint-Simon wolves what to do!"

Rienzi's sad blue eyes grew stern as he looked into Leon's yellow ones. "Yes, I can. I may not be the leader of the Saint-Simon pack or the Saint-Marc pack, but I am the Tribune of the Wolven People. And that puts me above the pack leaders."

"There you go, throwing your weight around!" Marianne snapped. "What makes you any better than Tarquin, someone who thinks he's an Emperor?"

"No," Rienzi said calmly. "Unlike him, I have never sought power or title. But fate has forced this upon me. And what I do, I do for the good of us all."

"I don't care what title you have or what you call yourself," Leon remarked snidely. "You're not the boss of me and I refuse to listen to you!"

Leon turned back to Lilly and prepared to finish what he had started. He began to move his claws toward her, only to have Rienzi grab him. The two locked eyes once again.

"I said I'm not going to listen to you!" Leon barked.

But before Rienzi could answer, another voice came from behind them. This voice was strong and sharp, with a quality about it that could either comfort you or terrify you, depending on what you made of its possessor.

As he heard it, Leon's face twisted into an angry snarl. Rienzi's face, meanwhile, seemed to be torn between relief and further concern. Lilly wondered what to make of such responses, but had to admit that her own feelings were just as confused, if not more so. She was, after all, the least able to understand all that was transpiring as the voice spoke.

This voice said, "In that case, will you listen… _to me?_"

* * *

***Slightly paraphrased for clarity. (If you read the original, you'd thank me for this.)**

****Sir Isaac Newton, physicist and alchemist, was supposed to have discovered the Law of Gravity when an apple fell from a tree and hit him on the head.**

* * *

**Who said this?**

**Read on.**


	28. Velociter et Cito!

**With this chapter, "Perils of the North" officially becomes part of the "100,000 words and over" club. **

**A big thank you to everybody who has supported me and this story so far. **

**And don't worry, there's still plenty of adventure yet to come.**

* * *

This voice said, "In that case, will you listen… _to me?_"

"We have no time for your mumbo-jumbo, quack!" Leon snapped as he tried to free his hand from Rienzi's grasp.

"Ha!" the voice said. "So the unbelievers still unbelieve. But can you really admit in your heart of hearts that my counsel should go unheeded?"

"Go away, shaman!" Marianne shouted. "This is no place for your hocus-pocus! I don't see how killing spies would be a matter for you anyway!"

"I don't know if this is your battle, Savvy," Rienzi said. "Please, let me just take care of this one."

"No! This is my battle!" And with that, the little wolf who owned the large voice, Savvy, burst between Leon and Rienzi and into Lilly's sight.

The wolf Lilly say looked less like a wolf and more like a hawk. Whether it was the large snout with its slight downward curve and a nose to match her mother's, or the narrow, yellow-brown eyes that seemed to bore into whatever met his glance, or fur the color of dark mud (except for a light patch upon his chest) or even his short but yet wild mane, this wolf definitely had a more falconine than lupine look about him. Despite this fearsome appearance, Lilly recognized that he must be one of the tiniest wolves she had ever seen. He was, at least, bigger than Shakey but Lilly doubted very much that he would even come up to Can-do's shoulders. However, he had a tough, mean look on his face that would give Can-do a run for his money and which heightened the hawkishness of his appearance.

For a moment, his cold, wild glare landed upon Lilly, and he seemed to study her. In a few seconds, he seemed to study everything about her, right down to her very soul. Then he turned around to pronounce his verdict. Lilly gritted her teeth as she hung upon the silence, waiting for the words that would decide her fate.

"This wolf is no spy!" he proclaimed.

"And how do you know?" Leon said testily.

"Tell me," the fiery little wolf retorted, "did I not say that a white she-wolf would come down from Heaven to lead us to victory? Did I not predict it? And now it has come to pass!"

"She didn't come from Heaven!" Leon shot back. "She came from that tree, where she was spying on us!"

Savvy let out a hoarse, mirthless laugh. "Your tepidity does not faze me, for you speak of things you could never understand! But this is truth; this wolf has been sent to us to bring us freedom from the cruel domination of Tarquin. Doubt it not!"

"You lie!" Marianne yapped.

"If I lie, Aurora herself lies!" Savvy snapped back.

"Come on, we don't believe in any of that sort of nonsense," Leon answered. "Mystical wolves living in the atmosphere, causing auroras. Those beliefs went out with our ancestors."

"You need more proof?" Savvy asked smugly. "Look no further! Has not everything I predicted come to pass? Have not my words always come true? And have I not been saying that, quickly and soon, a white she-wolf would be sent to us from Aurora above to liberate us from tyranny? Did I not say these things?"

Leon turned his head away. "Yes, but…."

"You see, I speak truth!" Savvy proclaimed triumphantly. "If you harm this girl, you will not only be making an offense against us and the north, but against the very heavens themselves!"

"But…."

"Leave her alone, Leon," Rienzi said sternly before throwing Leon's paw away. "I admit that her story sounds somewhat incredible, but I do not think even Tarquin is enough of a buffoon to send a wolf with fur bright enough and white enough to be made out by even a half-blind elder and then to have her hide in a tree that is mostly green and brown. Besides, he has no clue as to our location, so why pick this tree and only this tree?"

Leon growled as he realized that his logic was being beaten. "I don't know! But it's not right, I tell you! Tell us, Rienzi, since you're the one who saw the southerners, was she with them?"

Rienzi turned to Lilly and looked her over. He got a good look at her and thought about it for a moment. Then he said, "I can't say specifically if she was there or not, since it was the grey wolf and the brown one I helped. But I do remember seeing some whitish wolf among the southerners. So it is possible."

"And it is said that the southern packs were united by the marriage of a red wolf and a white she-wolf," Savvy said.

Lilly picked herself up. "That's me," she said. "I'm the leader of the Jasper Unified Wolfpack."

Savvy nodded happily. "I have known as much."

"Come on, Rienzi, you can't believe this!" Marianne protested. "And even if this creature is from the Jasper Pack, why don't we just kill her anyway? I'm sure she's made herself fat off of the hard work of the southerners and they'd love to see her pay."

"Well, from the looks of her," Rienzi said, smartly catching a sideways glance at Lilly, "making herself fat does not seem to have been a high priority, so I'm willing to take her on her word, for now."

"But… but…." Leon and Marianne stuttered together.

"Neither of you, nor anyone else, is to harm her," Rienzi commanded. "She is under my protection for as long as I have no reason to distrust her. And that is final."

He now turned back to Lilly. "Are you okay?"

Lilly managed to find her voice as she shook her head. "Uh-huh."

"Well, at least we got dinner, if nothing else," Leon said.

Rienzi tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Leon pointed beside Lilly to where the owl was laying. "That looks like it will make for a fine meal."

The owl began squawking in panic as Leon made a move in its direction. But before he could get farther, Lilly dived and wrapped her forepaws around the owl.

"No, no, let go of me, you ugly savage!" the owl screamed.

"No, don't hurt him!" Lilly screamed. "This bird is my friend!"

"Help me!" the owl called out. "Help me, somebody! Peck her eyes out!"

Leon and Marianne looked at the scene as though it was the most bizarre thing they had ever witnessed. But Rienzi spoke quickly. "Alright, you heard the girl. If the bird is her friend, the bird is not to be harmed! Understand?"

Leon grumbled to Marianne. "Just like those types to deny the rest of us food for their own selfish desires."

As the bird kept squawking away, alternately pleading and cursing, Lilly picked him up. Carefully, she positioned in on her shoulder and his legs instinctively grasped onto it as though it was a tree-branch. It was a moment or two before he even became aware of this and stopped babbling.

Finally, he fell silent, more from shock at where he now was than anything else.

"There, now that's better, isn't it?" Lilly asked over her shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Oh, I get it," the owl answered frantically. "You're trying to get me to let my defenses down so that you can then viciously tear me apart when I'm not looking. Well, it ain't happenin', sister! Arnold has never fallen for any tricks and he never will!"

"So, your name is Arnold," Lilly said warmly.

Arnold's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "You're good. But I won't get fooled again!"

"Well, if everything's settled here," Rienzi said as Lilly faced him again. "It's about time we headed home." Then he looked to Lilly again. "That is, if you've got nowhere else to be."

Lilly turned her head around and glanced wistfully at Tarquin's mountain. "No, I have nowhere to go home to… anymore."

Rienzi, once she was facing him again, nodded. "Right. Then we shouldn't be wasting what little of daylight we have left. Let's get going."

Lilly found herself walking next to Savvy as the wolves made their way through the dense wilderness, with Leon and Marianne keeping some distance to the side. Rienzi was leading them just ahead, confidently striding through the wirral but keeping an eye out for any possible dangers that might come.

"So, you live out here?" Lilly asked. "In the woods?"

"Indeed," Savvy answered.

Lilly was amazed. She had never known any wolves to live in woods rather than a valley before. Admittedly, her experience of the wolven world outside of Jasper had always been limited, but it was still quite a find to discover such a thing.

Lilly mentally went over all the salient facts she had learned today, including:

1. Gravity exists.

2. Her sister killed Melanie, not her.

3. Some wolves live in woodlands.

4. Her whole family is a bunch of lying cowards who never really cared for her at all.

Lilly could almost feel her head spin. This was quite a lot for any wolf to learn in one day, even if she did have one of a sharper mind than most gave her credit for.

"Tarquin rules the valleys with an iron paw," Rienzi, who was leading the group and walking just ahead of them, explained. "But the woodlands… now that's a very different story. There are many strange and marvelous things hidden in the woods of the Yukon, and Tarquin himself cannot even hold much in his grasp here. That is why we have made the woods our base."

"Ah," Lilly answered quietly.

"Oh, great, I'm being taken to a den of even more wolves! And in the woods, no one can hear you scream!" Arnold moaned.

"I can hear you scream, and I still say we should eat you!" Leon complained.

Arnold shuttered and actually seemed to cry at the threat.

"Now, that wasn't nice," Lilly said.

"Nice won't bring a revolution," Leon remarked.

"But it makes you wonder what the revolution's for?" Rienzi interjected.

Leon piped down once Rienzi spoke, not willing to start another confrontation with a wolf who was bigger than him and who was, after all, the leader. Once he was silent, Lilly, not being the type to continue fights, turned to speak to Savvy instead.

"What did you mean about me being sent from Heaven?" she asked him quietly.

Savvy laughed. "Was it not true?"

Lilly gave a little look back over her shoulder. "But… but… I fell from the mountain."

Savvy grinned at her and as he did so, she felt that he now looked more hawk-like than ever. "I wasn't talking about that. These others, they think I was talking about that. But I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about how you were born, which Ambrose told me all about."

Lilly was so shocked that she jumped slightly, causing her bangs to go flying around her. "You know Ambrose? And you know... about the other thing?"

Savvy laughed. "Of course I do. Ambrose mentioned that you were coming. He told me to keep an eye out for you."

Lilly was now curious. "But… how… did you know when I'd come?"

Savvy grinned furtively. "Oh, little one, I have my ways."

Lilly was about to say more when suddenly she discovered that Rienzi had fallen back and was now standing right beside her.

"Pardon me," he said, "but I've been rude. I forgot to ask you, what is your name, young lady?"

"It's okay, Lilly said, turning her head away shyly. "Back home, I was an Omega, so it's not like I'm not used to it."

"That doesn't make it right," Rienzi observed. "And I should know. I was an Omega once too."

Lilly's eyes lit up in amazement once again. "You're an Omega?"

Rienzi nodded slightly.

"What about you?" she said, turning to Savvy.

He just gave her that dark, falconine grin of his. "I am not one for packs. Never have been."

"Oh," Lilly remarked, feeling nervousness and embarrassment rising up in her. To escape it and to escape Savvy's glare, she turned her head to Leon and Marianne so swiftly that her bangs briefly fell over her left eye. "And what about you guys?"

"Hmph, we don't have ranks," Marianne noted.

"We're communists!" Leon expounded.

"Oh," Lilly said, looking down and away. This whole 'avoiding embarrassment' thing was not working out for her. But then, it never did.

"Ignore them," Rienzi said. "They had ranks once. One was an Alpha and the other an Omega, if I remember correctly."

"We are not Alphas!" Leon snapped. "There is no way any fat, greedy, oppressive, Alpha-pig would be allowed to join our glorious people's revolution!"

"Oh, that's right," Rienzi said. "You were the Alpha, weren't you, Leon?"

Leon quickly fell quiet and looked away in shame.

"Don't feel bad," Rienzi told Lilly. "Saint-Simon Pack has gotten all self-righteous since their revolution. At least Saint-Marc did not turn out that bad… in some respects."

Rienzi cast a dark eye toward Savvy, who now seemed to be lost in his own little world.

Rienzi was about to say more when he saw someone coming his way. "Hail, Pico!" he called out.

Into Lilly's vision now came another wolf, roughly her size, and colored white. Except he was not colored pure white like her, but more of an off-white, something like a very light grey, with dark grey half-circles running up his snout around his very circular eyes.

"Tribune," Pico said, saluting, "we were worried about you, and about the prophet. We were afraid that something had happened to you when you were out there for so long without coming back."

Rienzi chuckled. "Something did happen to us, Pico. She happened to us."

Pico's green eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. "It is she! It's the white wolf the prophet said would come! Another miracle has come to pass!"

"Quite," Savvy said with dark satisfaction.

Pico began to frantically bow over and over to Lilly and Savvy until Rienzi put a paw on his shoulder and held him in place. "That's enough, Pico," the leader said, "We don't want to overwhelm our guest, do we?"

Pico quickly stopped, fidgeted a bit, and said, "No, of course not, Tribune."

Rienzi turned to Lilly again. "Pico is the current leader of the Saint-Marc Pack. The… what's it called?"

"_Standard-Bearer of Justice_," Pico answered proudly. "At least, for the next month."

"The next month?" Lilly asked, tilting her head.

"Saint-Marc, since overthrowing their old pack leaders, is a republic," Rienzi helpfully explained. "Just like, after Saint-Simon overthrew their pack leaders, they became a…."

"People's Republic," Leon said.

"Communist state," Rienzi finished.

Pico nodded swiftly in pride. "Yep, and we now elect a new leader every month!"

"Doesn't that get confusing?" Lilly asked.

"Not as long as we have the prophet here to sort it out!" Pico answered, pointing to Savvy. "He's the one who showed us the way to freedom in the first place!"

Lilly now looked in confusion to Rienzi. "But what about you? I thought you were the leader of…."

"The alliance of the Saint-Marc, Saint-Simon, and Cambaluc Packs, yes, though the less said about the Cambaluc Pack, the better," Rienzi said.

"But which is your pack?"

There seemed to be a slight change in Rienzi's manner. So slight that no one else picked up on it. But Lilly saw, she saw the sadness that, for a moment, came into his face as he answered, "I have no pack. My pack was destroyed a long time ago."

"I'm sorry," Lilly said as she put a comforting paw on his shoulder. But Rienzi did not even seem to notice, for he was wrapped up in his own thoughts.

Then he snapped himself out of it. "But now I am the leader of this alliance that has joined together to banish Tarquin's tyranny from the Yukon forever."

"Quickly and soon!" Savvy suddenly shouted. "Tarquin's tyranny, his whole vista of evil, shall go down in flames quickly and soon! And then there shall be a new age of peace in the Yukon forever!"

Lilly swayed a little. She felt like her head was spinning again. So many words, so many concepts like "republics" and "communists" that she had never heard before, that she did not understand. What where these things? Where they different from how packs were led in Jasper? And if so, how so? She had always thought there was only one way of leading a pack and, until she had married Garth, had even imagined it impossible for anyone but Alphas to lead. And despite the fact that she was a pack leader now, she still did not imagine that pack structure allowed for greater differences than that. That there might be other ways of doing things besides having a ruling family seemed as impossible to Lilly as falling off a very-high cliff and reaching the ground safely.

But _that _had already happened once today. Lilly realized she was not in a very good position to judge what was possible and impossible at this moment.

"Are you okay?" Rienzi asked in concern.

Lilly nodded swiftly. "Yeah, I'm fine…. But so many words I don't understand. I never really heard any of this stuff before. It's a lot to take in…."

Rienzi smiled gently with understanding. "Of course. You're tired and you've been through a lot. It's so much to comprehend at one time. But we're here now, so you can rest a bit. And you must be hungry, so let's get you something to eat."

"We're here?" Lilly asked in wonder. Then she looked at what was before her for the first time.

She realized that they were at a mountain of some sort, another mountain. But it was much, much smaller than Tarquin's mountain, little more than a large hill, really. Had she not been right there, Lilly would never have been able to tell it apart from the surrounding forest. She reflected that this must have been the reason it was chosen.

And now, Lilly realized for the first time that she had been unconsciously stepping between wood-and-metal tracks, tracks that led straight into a large, square hole in the mountain and disappeared from her vision deep inside the darkness within.

"Mount Teufelsdröckh," Rienzi stated. "Our home, sweet home." Then he turned to her again. "But you never did answer my question. What's your name?"

"Oh," Lilly said, smiling in embarrassment at her mistake. "Lilly. My name's Lilly."

She immediately thought she had said something wrong, for Pico gasped and possibly Leon and Marianne as well. At any rate, all the other wolves were now looking at her with wide-eyed stares of utter astonishment. All except for Savvy, who smiled as though this was just what he had been waiting for.

"Is there something–" she began, but was quickly cut off.

"Ha!" Savvy exclaimed in utter victory. "Did I not say it was so? Did I not? Look, look at the proof that she herself has given us of the truth! She is sent to us by Aurora, she is!"

Savvy then pointed toward the banner that Rienzi carried beside him. Lilly looked at it closely. And now, her eyes grew wide as she realized the source of her own confusion about the silver stars. For they were all indeed silver stars, though they looked rather flowery. But the one directly above the Sun was no star. Rather, it was a lily.

"Quickly and soon, quickly and soon!" Savvy spit out, fire in every syllable. "Now, it is certain! The tepid can argue it no longer! Victory shall finally be ours, quickly and soon!"

And then, from within the mountain, from that dark, cavernous shaft, Lilly heard voices. They sounded faint, eerie, ghostly and spectral, but they were there, and they were singing:

Fear not the evil Scorpion,

For the Sun will win the war

Bringing happiness to all of us

For a thousand years or more!

* * *

**What would Lilly make of her new comrades?**

**And would she make it back to her own pack?**

**Read on.**


	29. Tarquinius Superbus

Tarquin and Justin walked slowly through a field of poppies located not far from Tarquin's mountain. It was a new day in the valley by the Beaufort Sea and Justin hoped that this fact must be having its effect on Tarquin. He hoped either this or the fact that Tarquin had just thoroughly succeeded in destroying the Jasper Pack would put his Emperor in a better mood.

"And to think, sire, it was all so simple!" Justin exclaimed.

"Everything is simple to a superior mind," Tarquin answered contemptuously. At this moment, he saw a particularly tall poppy and, with a swipe of his jeweléd scepter, knocked it to earth.

"Yes, yes, of course," Justin said, his voice becoming reserved as he realized that he might have offended his lord. "But still, I should not have thought that killing one she-wolf would have such a great effect!"

"It is a good thing I am Emperor, then, isn't it?" Tarquin said as he swiped down another tall poppy.

Justin nodded slowly. "But now that we've turned the Jasper Packs against each other, how do we follow it up? What do we do now?"

Tarquin did not answer. He merely thrust the scepter through another very tall poppy.

"Sire?" Justin asked.

Another poppy fell to Earth and then another one as the scepter swung about.

"Sire, is everything alright?"

Without looking up, Tarquin answered. "I'm sending out messengers to all the remaining packs of Canada, telling them that I'm calling a conference of all wolf-packs. Once their leaders arrive here, I shall inform them that they are now under my rule."

Justin's eyes grew wide in concern. "Not for me to criticize your ever-wise judgments, milord, but do you think–"

"More than anyone else around here, yes," Tarquin answered as he gripped the shaft of his staff tighter.

"But are we ready? We haven't even disposed of Jasper yet. What do we do if the other wolf-packs get wind of what's going on?"

Tarquin cut down another offending poppy.

"And what if the packs, once they arrive here, refuse to recognize you as their Emperor? What then?"

Another long poppy met its end with a thwack of Tarquin's great symbol of authority.

"And what if the packs refuse to come at all? What if they sense that there is a trap?"

Tarquin let out a fierce growl and with a powerful circular motion, slashed his scepter through a whole cluster of tall poppies, six or seven or more.

As they fell to the ground, he said without looking back, "Now, do you understand?"

Justin's face was blank for a moment. But then, slowly, a wicked, cunning smile began to form on his lips. "Now I see. It has been the same strategy all along. Destroy the tallest and the rest will follow."

Tarquin nodded without looking up. "Destroy the leaders and their followers always dissipate. Destroy the binding link and the whole chain is undone. Destroy a hero and nobody tries to be a hero anymore."

"You killed the white wolf," Justin said, "because without her, the union of Jasper packs would cease to be…."

"Correct," Tarquin said as he hacked down another poppy.

"You're going to destroy what's left of Jasper Pack so that the world sees that even their precious heroes cannot withstand your new order…."

"Correct." Swipe and another poppy hit the ground.

"And if any of the other packs refuse to come to your side…."

With a straight, clean slash, Tarquin brought low the last few poppies in the field.

"A wolf can only resist when he has something to believe in," Tarquin reflected. "And that is what I am taking away. From now on, if wolves want to believe in something, they can believe in me."

Tarquin looked up to see Justin smiling at this devious plan. He smiled too. "You see, everything is simple to a superior mind."

And then, Tarquin saw something out behind Justin. It was a troop of his own wolves, with Benny leading up the head. As usual, Benny was speeding as fast as he could, but even the large wolves behind him were moving at an incredibly swift pace. Tarquin's smile grew even wider and wickeder as he watched them come. "It looks like the grunts you sent out to retrieve the body have returned, Justin. This shall be excellent. Now I may turn the screws in Kate's torture a little tighter."

"Milord, milord!" Benny called out as he reached Tarquin and Justin's position.

"Yes, Benny, I deign to see you," Tarquin answered. "I trust you have brought me Lilly's corpse, that I might have a new trophy for my wall."

"Sire, sire, sire, I'm so sorry sire!" Benny blubbered, falling at Tarquin's paws and shivering. "I'm so sorry! It wasn't my fault, not my fault at all! I did everything like you ordered, so it couldn't have been my fault, you see!"

"Benny!" Tarquin barked as he put the diamond-tip of his scepter menacingly upon Benny's neck. "Quit making such a scene and tell me where the body is!"

Benny quivered some more and even seemed to cry a little as he stuttered, "There… there… there is… no body."

"What?" Tarquin bellowed furiously. With fiendish strength and speed, he lifted Benny up by the neck only to immediately knock him down again with the scepter.

"It wasn't my fault, sire! Please believe me!" Benny pleaded. "We looked all over the wilderness, anywhere she could have fallen, but nothing!"

"It's a shame, too," one of the giant wolves behind him said. "We was looking forward to having a little fun."

"You incompetent apes!" Tarquin scolded. "Am I the only wolf in all the world capable of doing things right? How could you let something like a corpse just fall out of your sight?"

"Sire… no, no, you don't understand!" Benny said as he crawled up Tarquin's shoulder.

Tarquin sneered and quickly knocked Benny back down. "Don't you dare ever say that I don't understand anything! I am Emperor of all Wolves, I understand everything better than you insects ever could!"

"Yes, yes, yes, sire," Benny said, doing several swift kowtows. "I meant no disrespect. It is just that we looked all over. Had there been a body to find, we would have found it!"

"Obviously, you did not look hard enough!" Tarquin snapped. "I don't think she fell all that way and then just got up and skipped into the wilderness. So the body had to be there! You just weren't looking right!"

Benny began to crawl backward as Tarquin approached him, twirling his scepter in a way so as to suggest that he was not about to be forgiving. Benny looked to the other grunts for support, but these giant wolves just backed away. Even they knew to be afraid of Tarquin.

As Tarquin was standing over Benny, poising himself to deal a crippling blow – if not worse – he felt a paw on his shoulder.

"Sire," Justin whispered. "Far be it for me to question your conclusions, but perhaps there is something in their story. We know that somewhere out there is the shaman and his followers. He might have collected the body for some reason, either to spite you or to use in some dark ceremony."

"Some people have no respect for the dead," Tarquin remarked as he began to calm down. "But you're right, Justin, of course. That turbulent priest has given me nothing but headaches. This is just the sort of thing he would do."

Tarquin looked down at the small wolf cowering at his feet. "Fine," he said. "I'll believe your stories… for now…."

Benny looked up in shock. He could not believe that Tarquin had actually granted him mercy and was now beside himself with joy. As he rose to his feet, he said, "A thousand thank you's, sovereign! Reign ten-thousand years, oh Emperor! May your rule be as lasting as – oof!"

"Shut up," Tarquin said as he whacked Benny to the ground once again. The other grunts all laughed as Benny looked upward, heartbroken and afraid.

"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's flatterers," Tarquin remarked. "Now you all get out of here before I change my mind about sparing you!"

None of the wolves needed to be told twice. Surprisingly, despite being on the ground and now having suffered several disorienting blows to the face, Benny was the first one to flee from the scene and outpaced everybody. Tarquin laughed with fiendish delight as he saw this occur.

"See, all they need is a firm hand and they'll do what they have to do," he observed.

"But sire," Justin said in concern, "your plan, is it ruined?"

"This is a disagreeable set-back, I must admit," Tarquin said. "But luckily, I have other ways of getting what I want out of Jasper. I think I shall have one of our friends come to see us and then you shall see the depths of my resourcefulness."

* * *

Tarquin and Justin sat within Tarquin's sinister throne-room, waiting for their guest to arrive.

"Are you sure someone is coming, sire?" Justin asked, for it had already been some time. "What if they decided not to show?"

Tarquin smiled as he sat proudly atop his rock. "Do not worry, Justin. This person cannot afford to keep me waiting. You just wait and see."

"I am waiting and seeing, sire," Justin answered, "and I will be happy to see the fulfillment of your word. I just wish it would come sooner rather than later."

Suddenly, however, an icy chill pervaded the cavern. Now, being a cave high in a lofty pseudo-Himalayan mountain naturally meant that chills were not uncommon. But, this chill was different. This chill was not of this world.

And then, despite the great bright sun outside, the whole cavern seemed shrouded in darkness. It was not so much that the light disappeared as that it was changed somehow, to where what had been the pleasant promise of morning now took on a sinister, hopeless gleam.

Tarquin and Justin both thought that they smelled the stink of burning flesh being carried through the air, as though they had found themselves transported to the middle of a battlefield upon which the dead have been left to rot.

They could not say when they first became cognizant of the dark mass forming itself at the cave entrance. But once it was noticed, it became impossible to ignore. Slowly, but yet swiftly, it formed itself into the figure of a small, stooped-over wolf.

Justin began to back away and – thinking with his survival instinct above all – he looked for a place to hide himself. For all the civilization that Tarquin prided himself on bringing to the Klondike, Justin felt himself reverting to his lupine nature. Or even a nature more primal that lupine, for now Justin only knew fear and the need to escape its nimble, grasping claws.

As the dark figure approached, Tarquin said, "You're not the one I want! Go away, hag!"

Justin shivered uncontrollably, like one in a fit, when the creature let out a monstrous, shrill laugh. Mallt looked at Tarquin with her blind, white eyes – in that bizarre way of hers where she seemed not to see, but yet seemed to catch everything in view.

"Foolish little… puppy!" Mallt uttered, her hoarse voice incapable of rising much above a whisper but yet still quite capable of being heard. "We had an agreement. We had an agreement. And you have violated it."

Tarquin sneered. "Watch your tongue, hag, if you value it! It is true; we had our agreement. Yet I don't recall you coming through with it. I asked you to help me in eliminating the Jasper wolves and I haven't seen you do a single thing toward that."

Mallt now raised up her paw and pointed a bony, twisted claw at Tarquin. "You had said that you only wanted me to interfere once you had had your chance. And so I have been waiting for you to fail – as you must – that I may come in and do my work. But fear not, for I have not been idle. Were it not for that wretched Alaskan wolf, I should have already accomplished more than you ever could."

Tarquin tilted his head. "The Alaskan wolf? You mean the shaman?"

"Do not call him that!" Mallt screeched, sounding very much like a very large and very hungry hawk. "You dare bestow upon him a title which he does not deserve! The occult arts are not for the likes of him!"

"And yet, you've utterly failed to destroy him," said Tarquin. "Excuse me if I fail to be impressed."

The angry growl that filled the cabin might either have been from Mallt's muzzle or from the cold, whirling wind as it whipped through the mountain's passes. It was impossible to tell which.

"He shall be dealt with… soon!" Mallt snapped.

"Quickly and soon, you mean?" Tarquin mocked, clearly enjoying himself. Now Justin began to wonder whether his leader had taken leave of all sanity.

"Enough!" Mallt shrieked, throwing out her paws and sending Tarquin toppling from his rock. The self-proclaimed Emperor fell down behind it and for a moment was winded. Winded, but not broken.

As Tarquin made it back to his feet, he said, "Normally, that would be worth an execution. But if you can be the one to rid me of this turbulent priest, I am willing to overlook it. Consider it another example of my mercy."

Another evil laugh from Mallt. "You think that I deal with the Alaskan for you? No! I do it only for my own purposes! But you, Tarquin, you have not been forthright with me. Do you not think that that deserves punishment?"

"She was just a girl!" Tarquin barked. "A weak, sniveling, insignificant girl! Who cares about her? You really want one of the Jasper wolves to play around with, why not take the big rust-colored rat? Or if girls are what you're into, take the one that looks like a guy. I have no need for vengeance on either one of them, so you may do what you like."

"Silence!" Mallt commanded, her voice low but full of power. "You know in your heart, as I do, that she was no ordinary girl. I needed her soul, and that you have sought to deny me. Tarquin the Proud, so-called Emperor of Wolfkind, did you really believe my wrath would not be swift?"

Suddenly, there was the sound of an explosion and then a crash. Before Tarquin even knew what was happening, he was on the ground, pain coursing from his head down his spine to every single area of his body. It dazed him for a moment and, as he came to, he saw Justin knocked out beside him. Despite the pain still being quite fierce, Tarquin forced himself up and slowly he realized what had happened. Mallt had blown up the rock-wall behind him, causing all the skulls of his enemies to crash down onto his back and head, as well as those of Justin.

Tarquin cursed that he had sent his grunts away so as not to frighten his expected guest. They always made such good shields.

Tarquin tried to find his footing and looked around for his scepter. Before he could do anything, however, he felt sharped, snake-like claws writhe their way into his throat, causing blood to flow onto his golden fur. And then, the pain came as he was forced to drop down onto his knees.

"Now who kneels before whom?" Mallt whispered viciously as her dead white eyes locked with Tarquin's burning golden ones.

Tarquin did as best of a snarl as he could under present circumstances. "So now what, crone? Are you going to dare kill your Emperor?"

And then he felt himself smack hard against the back-wall. So hard that he felt blood trickling down the side of his head. As Tarquin looked up groggily, he saw Mallt standing over him, her "gaze as blank and pitiless as the sun."***** There was no escaping those hideous dead eyes now.

"No, I shall not kill you," she said, "not yet. You still have some use to me. But know that if you ever try to betray me again or deny me what I want, you shall die a most… bitter… death."

Mallt turned away and began to slowly walk toward the cave-entrance. As Tarquin began to recover himself, he muttered contemptuously, "Hag!"

In a moment, Mallt had turned around in fury and now the diamond-tip of Tarquin's own scepter was pressing into his neck, drawing even more blood. As soon as the witch had locked her evil eyes once more upon him, it had flown out from the debris of its own accord and found its way to Tarquin's neck.

"Sorry!" Tarquin choked out.

This was enough. Satisfied, Mallt let the scepter drop and departed the cave. Outside, she met with two other witches who had been waiting for her.

"Sister?" one of them asked.

"Worry not, child," Mallt uttered. "He knows nothing. The starchild lives still, but he knows it not. Nor does he even suspect the special power that dwells in her, the power that shall soon be ours! And to think, he just thinks we wanted an ordinary girl! The fool! But our day of power is coming, for even the starchild will not be able to deny us her soul!"

And, sooner than a bird flaps its wings, the three were gone.

Justin pulled Tarquin out of the rubble and began to see to cleaning his wounds.

"I guess I showed her!" Tarquin remarked triumphantly.

"You always do, sire," Justin answered.

As Justin was doing what he could, Tarquin looked around. "Hurry it up, Justin, and clean this mess up too! We can't have our guest seeing us like this."

"Too late," Justin said. He had heard the fall of pawsteps on the path outside.

Tarquin looked up to see a proud light-grey wolf standing at the cave-entrance, looking around in shock at the damage that had suddenly come over the ruler's den.

Tarquin cursed having this wolf seem him like this, but knew it could not be helped now. So, lifting himself to his feet and striding proudly as though nothing was wrong, Tarquin said, "Lance, my boy, come in, come in!"

Lance looked around cautiously and took a few steps forward. He had thought he would have to make the customary bow before speaking, but found that Tarquin was insisting on nothing of the sort.

"Your Majesty?" he said curiously.

"Speak, boy," Tarquin said, his voice growing sterner. "What is it that you wanted to say to us?"

"Well, Your Majesty," Lance said as he kowtowed out of preservation-instinct, "I've been keeping an eye out on the Jasper wolves like you said. And now, they've completely disintegrated, like you predicted they would. Kate has totally given up and is now just waiting for death. Just a little push and she'll be finished."

Tarquin clapped his paws together in joy. "Excellent! Just as I had expected. Now is the time to put the next phase of my plan into action!"

"Um, Majesty?" Lance said, averting his gaze. "Now that I've done all the… the, um, surveillance that you asked for, do I get my reward?"

"What? Your reward?" Tarquin said, feigning loss of memory. "I should think that providing a valuable service to your Emperor is reward enough."

"But… but… you said if I did this, you'd make me an Alpha again!" Lance protested desperately.

Tarquin rounded on him, his eyes burning with fire. "Ah, so I did. And it shall be done. But there is one more thing which you must do for me, first."

"What, sire?" Lance asked hopefully, turning his eyes to face his sovereign.

"There is a girl you have gotten quite friendly with," Tarquin said. "An Omega girl, yes?"

"With respect, we're all Omegas now, sire," Lance said quietly.

"Hmph, well, I am not an _Omega!_" Tarquin said, the word 'Omega' dripping with the usual spite. "And you shall not be one if you just do as I say. But this girl of yours, does she know you're doing this?"

Lance looked to the ground. "Well, no… Not exactly…." Then he drew his eyes up. "But, if you just give me a chance, I'm sure she can be persuaded to go along with it!"

Tarquin chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure she can be. Why don't you bring her here, Lance, and then we can 'persuade' her together? After all, two sane voices are better than one."

Lance smiled. "You mean, she'll be an Alpha, too?"

Tarquin smiled back. Had Lance been wise, he would have seen the darkness in that smile. "I've got something special in the works for her, don't you worry," the gold wolf said.

Lance beamed with joy and nodded swiftly. "Oh, thank you, Your Majesty! I'll bring her back right away! Thank you! Thank you!" And then, as quick as possible (which was quick indeed), he was gone from the cave and out of Tarquin's line of vision.

Once he was gone, a confused Justin turned to Tarquin. "If I may ask, sire," he said, "what was that about?"

Tarquin did not look to him, but kept staring out the cave where Lance had departed. "Tell me," he said, "don't you think that this Ginger girl is pretty much the same size as Lilly was?"

When Justin did not answer, Tarquin noticed his subordinate was still staring at him in confusion. "Well, get going!" he snapped. "We can't have this place looking like this forever! I expect it to be cleaned up by the time our guests return!"

Justin quickly saluted and got to work cleaning.

* * *

"Lance, I can't believe what you're telling me!" Ginger said as she followed Lance up the way toward Tarquin's cave.

"Ginger, we don't owe any loyalty to those Jasper wolves," Lance said. "If they get wiped out, it's their own fault. We've got to protect ourselves while we can!"

Ginger tilted her head. If Lance had been looking at her, he would have seen the disappointment in her eyes toward him. "So your answer is to become a slave to the wolf who has done so much to harm us all?"

Lance shook his head without looking back. "Ginger, you're not thinking straight. We already are slaves, so why not at least make the best of it for ourselves?"

"Because it's wrong!" shouted Ginger. "That wolf is an evil, despicable tyrant who will kill anyone just for the fun of it! Lance, we've lost too many friends, too much family, to let him have his way!"

Lance now turned on her sharply and his pale blue eyes locked with her ginger ones. "I know we've lost too much," Lance said, "and that's why we've got to do this. You and I only have each other now. But if we want to survive in the new world, we've got to recognize who that ruler is going to be. Ginger, you can't sit around _Arturum expectans_. We have to find what peace we can in this world now, because it's Tarquin's world now!"

"No!" Ginger shot back. "No! I refuse to believe that! Didn't somebody once say, 'Where there's life, there's hope'?"******

"Yeah, right before being murdered," Lance answered.

"But we can't betray our friends," Ginger said. "No one's unstoppable, not even Tarquin. And if we just side with him because it's easier, what does that make us? We may be alive, but we won't deserve to live if we stand by and let him take from others what he's taken from us."

Lance was getting frustrated. "You just don't get it!"

Once more, his eyes locked with hers. His tone became softer as he said, "Ginger, I love you."

Ginger's jaw fell a bit at this revelation. It was something she had always hoped, perhaps even known somewhere deep inside, to be true. But now, hearing it from Lance's mouth, the culmination of her dreams, took her breath away. "Oh, Lance…." was all she could manage to say.

"I love you, Ginger," Lance continued, "and I want to keep you safe from all the chaos and the turmoil of the world. And if that means having to bend my neck to Tarquin, if that means having to stand by while he ravages the face of the land, that is a small price to pay for knowing that you are safe."

Ginger stepped forward and put her paw to Lance's cheek. "Lance, I love you too. I always have, even when we still couldn't be together. But it's still not right. Love is not love that has to bend itself to injustice."

"Love is the only justice," Lance said. "Hang the Jasper wolves, hang right and wrong. As long as we have love, what more do we need? Because you can say what you want about the suffering in the world, about those who have died due to evil ones like Tarquin, talk about all that…. But you're the only thing that really matters to me, Ginger. Only you."

"You've never spoken…." Ginger said quietly. "How could I know? You've never spoken…."

"I didn't think I could until this moment," Lance said. "We weren't trained for this at Alpha School. But now you see? You see why we have to do this?"

Ginger shook her head. "No, Lance, I don't. I could not live with myself, or with you, like this. I've seen too many die already. We have to make a stand against it, one way or another."

Lance's gaze now turned firm. "Okay, Ginger, but just go through with this one thing for me. Just let's see what Tarquin has to say. Just do it for me."

"I can't even consider an offer from him," Ginger responded. "I would never say yes."

"Maybe not, but just listen for me, to show you love me," Lance said. "Ginger, I'd never let anything bad happen to you. You just have to trust me."

Ginger smiled. "I do trust you, Lance. After all we've been through, how could I not?"

Lance smiled back and, with a nod, turned to continue climbing the path. They were already approaching the cave and Ginger let Lance lead her right into it. But what they found there was darkness. No sign of any wolves, just darkness.

"Um, Your Majesty?" Lance called out. "We're here to discuss that thing you wanted. Remember, you said that you had something very special planned for us?"

"Yes, I remember…." Out of the shadows came Tarquin, sitting upon his throne and being carried by two of his giant bodyguards. Justin stepped out at his side.

"So, we're here, ready to receive what you've got for us!" Lance said, giving Tarquin a wink.

Tarquin was decidedly unmoved. "Very well. Get over here, Lance, if you want your reward."

Lance and Ginger began to step forward.

"Ah-ah-ah, just Lance," Tarquin ordered.

Lance looked back to Ginger in concern. "But, sire–" said he.

"Just do it if you want your reward!" Tarquin commanded without any apparent emotion. "Rewards come with obedience. You must learn that, Lance, if you want to get ahead in this world."

Lance gave another nervous glance in Ginger's direction but, thinking that he had to do whatever it took to stay on Tarquin's good side, he hurried to his Emperor's side. As soon as he reached it, Justin put out a strong paw onto his shoulder.

Now Tarquin turned his focus to Ginger. "Now, little one," he said, "Lance and I have been discussing and we've agreed upon a very special surprise for you."

"I don't like surprises," Ginger said defiantly.

A villainous grin formed on Tarquin's snout. "Oh, trust me, you're going to love this one. Since you talk so much about how bad of a leader I am, how I just cause destruction and bloodshed…."

Ginger's eyes widened. "You… you heard?"

Tarquin chuckled. "Of course I heard. You're at my cave, on my mountain, in my valley, in my empire, in my world. I hear everything that goes on, one way or another."

He now gave a sly sideways glance to Lance and then looked back to Ginger devilishly.

Ginger suddenly grew firm. "Well, it's true. And I don't hide from it. You are an evil, evil wolf and it's high time somebody stood up to you!"

"Oh dear, I do believe that's treason talking," Tarquin said. "Looks like we've got another tall poppy just crying out to be cut down. Boys, she's all yours. Have fun."

And suddenly, out of the darkness, the remained of Tarquin's behemoths appeared from all directions. Ginger tried to back away, but there were too many and they were two swift. Soon, they had blocked off all avenues of retreat. Ginger looked around frantically, but could see no way out.

"Lance!" she cried.

"Ginger, no!" Lance screamed as he tried to rush to her side. But Justin locked him in a headlock and forced him to the ground – with his head turned at just enough of an angle that he could watch.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her!" Lance yelled to Tarquin.

Tarquin did not even bother to look at him. "I never said that. Did I say that, Justin?"

"Not a word like that, sire," Justin answered as he squeezed Lance's neck tightly.

"I didn't think I said that," Tarquin continued. "What I said was that I have special plans for her. Very special plans. But I guess when you're in love, you mishear things. Pity, apparently love isn't the only thing needful after all…."

Ginger's screams rang out of the high cavern and shook the very floor of the valley far below. The Jasper wolves were spared the horror of hearing them by the fact that their dens were on the other side of the mountain, but the winds ensured no one else was so lucky. All the wolves within the valley were caught up in fear and panic as those screams glided upon the air-currents and found their way into the pleasant sunshine. All creatures scurried away, terrified of what such horrible noises must portend. Soon, those terrible cries were the only things to crowd the great open expanses of the valley by the Beaufort Sea.

* * *

*******William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"**

****Words of Marcus Tullius Cicero, a very short time before being assassinated on the orders of Marc Antony.**

* * *

**What sinister plans does Tarquin next have in the works?**

**Read on.**


End file.
